Chilli is probably my favourite home cooked meal (okay, I know I’ve said before that pizza is my fave but I’m going to class that as more of a snack or, you know, addiction). I could eat chilli by the gallon.
I’m not vegetarian, but I find eating veggie meals regularly is a great way to cut down on fat, get your five a day and be a little kinder to the environment, not to mention saving a few quid.
So I knocked up this vegetarian chilli and it’s now a staple part of my cooking regime, I honestly love it. It’s got all the same flavours of my old beef chilli recipes and just as much punch, and piled on top of a delicious baked potato makes for a mouth-watering meal.
Seasoning is essential to this dish, so make sure your store cupboard is stocked up! Dried garlic flakes (or fresh if you’ve got it) go into the pan to cook with the onion and carrot, and while paprika, cumin, cinnamon and chilli flakes are a great flavour combo for chilli. And, of course, salt and pepper for good measure!
2. Into a hot frying pan, add the onion, carrot and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes.
3. Then add, well, pretty much everything else! The tin of chopped tomatoes, veggie mince, pepper, tomato puree and all the spices – paprika, cumin, cinnamon, chilli flakes, salt and pepper. This is a vegetarian recipe, of course, but if you really feel like you need some kind of meat in there, you can add a crumbled beef stock cube into the pan at this point too. But, I promise, it really doesn’t need it! A vegetable stock cube will do the job.
4. Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes with the kidney beans going in for the last couple of minutes.
5. Pop the potato out of the oven or microwave, open it up and pile on the chilli!
When you think of chilli, it’s all about big, bold spices – that’s no different when it comes to this veggie version! Make sure you’re generous with your seasoning because you really want that flavour to shine.
Try swapping out the potato for a scrumptious baked sweet potato instead. Y-U-M!
Always go overboard on how much you cook here, because these leftovers make an excellent lunch the next day!