Best Homemade Vegetarian Chilli

This recipe is a great store cupboard basic

We have so many beans and tins of tomato in the pantry at the moment, so I decided to share one of my favourite comfort foods, vegetarian chilli. It is a wonderful family dish, as it is scrumptious, yet cheap to make, as well as being very healthy and filling! Don’t skip the guacamole and tomato salsa sides though, as they really make the meal. Serve the chilli with some brown rice or in a brown tortilla wrap.

You can use tinned or dried beans

I usually add red kidney beans and black beans to my vegetarian chilli. In this recipe I have used tinned beans as that is what I had at home, but dried beans are just as good, if not better. Just soak them overnight, and the next day gently simmer in water until soft. You can add them to your chilli when you add the tinned tomatoes. Tinned beans are much softer, so they should only be added towards the end of the cooking process.

I like to serve my chilli with brown rice, a spicy tomato salsa, guacamole and a dollop of yoghurt. For all those vegans out there, this chilli is actually 100% vegan. The reason I haven’t labelled it as such, is because I have added the yoghurt. So to make this dish vegan, simply leave this off, or substitute with a vegan yoghurt. I have also included some optional ingredients. They add to the depth of flavour, but you can leave them out if need be.

Head to John Bauer for the most beautiful bowls

I’m sure you’ve noticed from the picture, that I have served my chilli in the most stunning bowl. I have been drooling over John Bauer bowls for years now. John Bauer is an internationally recognised porcelain artist based at the Montebello Design Centre in Newlands. Each work that he creates is absolutely individual. His bowls are so delicate and elegant with such unusual designs. I am finally the lucky owner of the two most beautiful bowls. The one I have used for this post actually has a turtle on the inside. It is so exquisite, I could hardly bear to cover it up!

So head to his studio to check out his latest work. You can really make a morning of it, as the Montebello Design Centre has so much to offer. Enjoy a tasty breakfast at The Gardener’s Cottage restaurant and coffee shop, and then spend the morning wandering around the centre. The grounds themselves are very attractive, and there are lots of lovely galleries and studios to visit. There is also a fantastic play area if you have kids.

Vegetarian Chilli

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Serves: 4 Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cooking Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Ingredients

• VEGETARIAN CHILLI:
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 celery stick, finely diced (optional)
• 1 carrot, finely diced (optional)
• 1 green/red pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1-2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1 tin tomatoes
• 1 tin black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tin kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice (or vinegar), or to taste
• 1/2-1 tsp. sugar, or to taste
• Salt & pepper
• Handful coriander, chopped (optional)
• GUACAMOLE:
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp. lime/lemon juice or to taste
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• Small bunch of coriander, chopped
• Salt
• TOMATO SALSA:
• 300g Rosa tomatoes
• 3 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. lime juice or to taste
• Salt and pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
• TO SERVE:
• Greek yoghurt
• Brown rice or brown tortilla wraps

Instructions

VEGETARIAN CHILLI:

1. Heat a heavy-based pot or a large deep pan on a low-medium heat with the olive oil. 
2. Add the onion, celery and carrot, and sweat with a lid on until they are beginning to soften
3. Add the green or red pepper, and continue to cook until the pepper is soft and the onions are turning a light golden.
4. Turn the heat up to medium, and add the garlic, cayenne pepper, coriander, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano and bay leaf. Cook for 1-2 minutes stirring, until the raw garlic smell is gone and the spices look toasted. 
5. Add the tin of tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 30-45 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and is flavoursome, and the taste of raw tomato is gone. You may need to add more water as it cooks. 
6. Add the tinned black beans and kidney beans and gently stir through.
7. Add the lemon juice and sugar to taste, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for about 15 more minutes, to allow the flavours to mingle. 
8. Lastly, stir through the chopped coriander and taste to check if the chilli needs more sugar, lemon juice, salt or pepper.

GUACAMOLE:

1. Cut the avocados in half and remove the skin and pips.
2. Place the avocados in a bowl with the garlic, lime juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt. 
3. Mash with a fork to a rough consistency. 
4. Stir through the coriander and taste. Add more lime juice or salt as needed. 
5. Store with cling wrap touching the surface, so that it doesn’t go brown.

TOMATO SALSA:

1. Cut the tomatoes into smallish dice and place in a bowl. 
2. Add the sliced spring onions, lime juice, salt and pepper and a generous pinch of cayenne pepper.
3. Stir together gently, and taste. Add more lime juice, seasoning or cayenne pepper as needed. 

TO SERVE: 

1. Place the brown rice in a serving bowl. Spoon over some vegetarian chilli.
2. Serve with guacamole, tomato salsa and a dollop of Greek yoghurt on the side. 
3. Alternatively make wraps with brown tortillas. 

Best Homemade Vegetarian Chilli was last modified: January 7th, 2021 by Mira

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