Vegan chili. Stupid easy.
Every Halloween for as long as I can remember my mom always made us chili mac for dinner before we went trick-or-treating. Even after I’d gone vegetarian in high school (and continued trick-or-treating right on up through senior year; hate on, haters), the tradition carried on with my favorite vegetarian chili standing in for her standard beef recipe.
So all day I’ve been thinking about chili mac. I have failed Halloween miserably this year–no pumpkin carving, no candy, no decorations, no costume, no haunted house… nothing. So with my head hung in shame this perfectly brisk Halloween night, I vowed to not drop the ball on dinner.
Easy.
But after dropping entirely too much money on groceries last night, I was not about to head back to the store. I had to work with what was on hand, which, as it turns out, was perfect.
Chili is traditionally a long, slow simmer kind of food, but I whipped this one up in less than 20 minutes. It’s a one-pot deal with simple ingredients, minimal prep and a surprisingly complex and satisfying end product.
| Stupid Easy Vegan Chili |
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 yellow or white onion, diced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 package tempeh, crumbled
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can dark red kidney beans
- 1 cup green, red or yellow peppers (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste
- Heat oil over medium-high heat
- Saute onion until translucent
- Add garlic, but watch the heat to keep it from burning
- Add spices and tempeh and cook 3-4 minutes
- Pour in tomatoes, beans and peppers
- Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer
- Add vegetable stock as needed to thin to desired consistency
Chili mac, you are mine.
Happy Halloween!
That does, in fact, look stupid easy and amazing and I would like it to get in my mouth. Might I also suggest you look into vegan Cincinnati chili recipes? I made some last night and practically wanted to take a bath in it. It’s like other chili….but with dark chocolate and cinnamon. Go ahead, let that sink in.
made this today – it was, in fact, ridiculously easy. and delicious. I added a giant zucchini and used 2 cans of beans, because 1 can is never enough. thanks!
brilliant addition with the zucchini and extra beans!