It seems like there are at least 100 vegan chili recipes online…. And I love it! I love how easy it is to find healthy, nutrient dense vegan recipes online. Growing up vegetarian, it was NOT that easy. Look how far we’ve come!! So here’s my take on a high protein vegan chili.
This is another one of those “weekly rotation” meals in our household. I love this chili so much and it’s so easy to make! It’s plant based, nutrient dense, high protein, filled with only whole food ingredients and super affordable!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 medium white onion, 1 bell pepper (any color!), 2 large carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 can of diced tomatoes (any kind but fire roasted gives an extra kick of flavor), 1/2 cup frozen or canned corn, 1 cup pre cooked lentils, 1 can of black, kidney or pinto beans, 1 cup of water or veggie broth and ALLLLL the spices!
When it comes to spices, I like to add chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder and of course lots of black pepper. You can add salt if you’d like but I find that the bean, lentils and veggie broth already add enough sodium.
Let’s talk add-ins! This changes every time I make this dish because it all depends on what I have on hand. Typically, I add cilantro and a few slices of avocado when I dish it up! But you can also add lots of hot sauce, black olives or even some red wine vinegar.
Now we have all of our ingredients so let get to cooking! The only time consuming bit is the chopping. And there’s a lot of chopping! I personally really enjoy the ritual of chopping up all the veggies for a dish but if you’re short on time or just don’t get that same warm and fuzzy feeling spending 15 minutes chopping veggies then I suggest investing in a vegetable chopper. (“Investing” is a strong word.. they’re only a few bucks on Amazon)
Once your onion, carrots, celery and bell pepper are chopped into small pieces, add them to a large pot with avocado oil and cook for about 10 minutes. Once they’re softened, add in your beans, veggie broth or water and diced tomatoes. Give it a good stir and add ALL the spices. I’ve given quantities for the spices but it truly is personal preference. Play around with it a bit! But remember, you can always add more spice, its much harder to take away spice! So increase seasonings little bits at a time.
Bring the pot to a light simmer, keep the lid on and cook for 30 minutes.
Potato masher time! Grab your masher and start to mash the cooked chili. I dont like mine too chunky so I spend a good amount of time mashing the beans, veggies and diced tomatoes.
Almost done! Just add in your cooked lentils, corn, and any other add-ins that you like and enjoy!
High Protein Vegan Chili
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Avocado oil
- 1 White onion chopped
- 1 Bell pepper chopped
- 3 Celery stalks chopped
- 3 Carrots medium/large, chopped
- 1 Cup Water or veggie broth
- 1 Can Crushed tomatoes
- 1-2 Can Black beans or any bean of choice pinto, canneli or extra black beans
- 3 Tsp Chili Powder
- 2 Tsp Cumin
- 3 Tsp Garlic Powder, or 3 cloves fresh garlic
- 1 Tsp Paprika
- Black Pepper to taste
Optional Add-ins
- Pre cooked lentils
- Corn fresh or frozen
- Black Olives
- Avocado
- Hot Sauce of choice
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Cilantro
Instructions
- Saute onions, bell pepper, carrots and celery in avocado oil on medium heat until they begin to soften. Typically, no more than 10 minutes.
- Add in water (or veggie broth), beans, tomatoes and all seasoning and stir to combine. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, use your potato masher to crush the softened veggies and beans. (If you like your chili on the chunky side, skip this step.)
- Stir in cooked lentils, frozen (or fresh corn) and any other additions.
- Enjoy!
