Three Bean Chilli
Before my sweet family and I transitioned to our plant-based diet, we loved chilli-con-carne. So I set about looking for the perfect ingredients to make a perfect plant-based three bean chilli. I have tried plenty of delicious vegan recipes, including coconut for texture but it just wasn’t cutting it. So I made my own, and after weeks of using my family as guinea pigs…we found it!
vegan, gluten free chilli
I made careful consideration on three things for this meal.
- Its nutritional density
- Cost
- Time
All of the above are important to me, as a busy independent parent of three, money can be tight, time can be tight and first and foremost I have a duty of care to my little eggs, ensuring I feed them good, wholesome foods!
This meal is high in fibre, iron, protein, and vitamins. I have carefully combined complimenting macros to make sure they have maximum absorption into the body. We can’t absorb non-heme (plant-based) protein (beans) into our gorgeous bodies without the help of vitamin c (tomatoes).
So let’s cut to the chase…what’s in the dish?
INGREDIENTS
- 2 carrots, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, or one tsp of crushed garlic puree
- 1 x 400g tin red kidney beans
- 600g passata
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 x 400g tins black beans
- 1 x 400g tins cannelleni beans
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 8 tbsp of nutritional yeast
- brown rice, to serve (make sure you rinse the rice well before cooking…it helps it to cook quicker
NOTE: remember to taste the sauce and feel free to add a little salt or pepper or more of any of the spices to suit your palette
METHOD
This is what appealed to me the most with this version, and what makes this dish a quick healthy meal for the family. You literally throw it all in a deep-sided wok-style pan and mix and simmer. The most strenuous thing you have to do is crush the garlic and grate the carrots! OR in my case, have a fight with the tin opener and nearly slice my thumb open..AGAIN!
- Place the carrot and garlic into a large saucepan. Add the passata, tomato purée, both the beans, jalapeño pepper and the chilli flakes to the saucepan along with some salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cook the chilli for about 10 minutes, stirring it well until it’s lovely and warm and everything’s nicely mixed together.
- Pour the chilli over brown rice and enjoy.
You can even add some guacamole and some vegan gluten-free tortillas to the side.
So, give it a whirl! If you’re looking for a nutritious vegan meal that’s quick and cheap to make for your family, you have hit the jackpot with this beauty!
To make things even easier, I have added a few links to the ingredients, it’s far more cost-effective to buy in bulk, and to save time, soak the beans the night before, if using dry!
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