This Plant-Based Classic Chili is hearty comfort food when you want to warm up during the long cold winter evenings. In this recipe, I used beyond meat plant-based ground beef. Its soy and gluten-free and has texture and juiciness of the meat. You will enjoy this thick and very rich chili. It will keep you full due to high protein content and fiber. With the addition of jalapeno, not only are you incorporating little spice into your life but a lot of vitamins! The green pigment in peppers contains carotene, which is high in antioxidants and protects the cells from damage by reducing inflammation. Jalapenos are very high in vitamins A and C, which supports a healthy immune system by regenerating white blood cells. I also included red lentils into this vegan chili. One cup of them contain 18 grams of protein, which makes this one-pot chili very beneficial for a plant-based diet. Other benefits of lentils are the high folate content, which provides 90% of the recommended value! Another fun fact about folate is the capacity it has to convert carbohydrates into energy, which allows us to get through our day to day lives! Please, enjoy this simple to prepare and very flavorful dish.
Equipment
- Slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound Beyond Meat plant-based ground beef
- 2 Red bell peppers, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 Tbsp cacao powder
- 2 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 15.5 oz can of black beans*
- 1 15.5 oz can of kidney beans*
- 1 15.5 oz can corn
- 1 cup dry orange lentils
- 1 small jalapeno, diced, seeds removed
Instructions
- Heat a large pan on medium heat, then add Beyond Meat plant-based ground beef and break it apart with a wooden spoon.
- Cook for 3 minutes, stirring.
- Add bell peppers, onions and carrots, stir until well combines. Sauté 4- 5 minutes.
- Transfer vegetable mixture to slow cooker. Sprinkle with seasonings: chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cacao powder. Mix well. Add the remaining ingredients to slow cooker and stir well to combine.
- Cook on low for 3 hours.
- Serve garnished with cilantro.
Going to try this recipe tomorrow! My girlfriends son is vegetarian, and I wanted to make chili for the family this weekend, so wanted to try using Beyond meat instead of my usual ground beef! My only worry was that I read you aren’t supposed to cook/simmer beyond meat for too long (30 mins max?), whereas when I use ground beef in my chili, I like to simmer it for a couple hours to really have the flavours meld and intensify. But I see in this recipe, you have it going in a slow cooker for 3 hours. So I assume the beyond meat is ok after that amount of simmering? Thanks!
Hi John, I hope you liked my recipe! I used a slow cooker for my “meat.” It takes around 7 hours to reach the simmer point if you use low settings and 3 to 4 on high settings. That’s why 3 hours is perfectly fine for this Beyond meat. It will “marinate” the flavors and keep it just blended, cooked, but not overly done.