Flavorful whole food plant-based chili that comes together quickly and gets even better after a couple of days. You can make this chili oil-free or use a small amount of oil. This is my go-to chili recipe.
WHY TVP CHILI?
TVP has been around since the 1960s and, in my opinion, there’s no better plant-based ground beef alternative when you consider both nutritional profile as well as convenience. It’s a great source of protein and fiber while being sustainable and easily accessible. And because TVP is a fully dehydrated soy product it has a very long shelf life. TVP is one of those processed foods which is considered not just acceptable but recommended in a whole food plant-based eating plan. Most recipes will have you soak your TVP in some sort of liquid for a few minutes before incorporating it into a recipe. For extra flavor in this recipe, you can soak your TVP in vegan broth instead of water.
ALL BEANS ARE GOOD BEANS
Switch out the beans in this recipe for any canned beans you like or happen to have on hand. I love the combination of pinto beans and dark red kidney beans. Pinto beans have a smooth and dense texture which I find particularly satisfying. The dark red kidney beans offer a nice color contrast while keeping things traditional.
OIL-FREE OPTIONAL
This recipe can be made entirely oil-free or with a small amount of olive oil. Using a small amount of oil allows a little bit more caramelization for the onions and other vegetables and makes sautéing just a little bit easier, but it is not a necessity. If you are on a strict no added oil whole food plant-based eating plan, just opt for the oil-free preparation option. Either way, you will need to keep extra water or vegetable broth on hand while sautéing your vegetables.
PEPPER PERFECTION
I’m picky about my peppers. Although I personally love spicy food, I want my recipes to be enjoyable to people with a variety of spiciness preferences. Those who like it hot can always add their favorite hot sauce, but it’s impossible to take away the heat of hot peppers once they’ve been cooked into a recipe. I love Anaheim peppers because you get a whole lot of flavor without the heat. Just about any pepper will work in this recipe so use whatever you like or have on hand. Go with the traditional green bell pepper option, sweet little red peppers or a couple of jalapeños for a bit more heat. As always, I encourage you to be creative and make it your own.
BEST TOMATOES FOR CHILI
When it comes to making chili and other saucy tomato dishes, many types of tomatoes—fresh, canned, or frozen—will work, so it’s always going to be a matter of preference and what you have on hand. Personally, I like the tomatoes in my sauces, soups and chili to mostly blend in, and not to remain chunky. By using canned crushed tomatoes I get to my desired blending point faster and more reliably. There are many great brands of canned crushed tomatoes. My all time favorites are Cento All Purpose Crushed Tomatoes and, for a deeper smokier flavor, Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes.
A TOUCH OF SWEETNESS
As a mostly whole food plant-based adherent cook, I avoid refined sweeteners as much as possible. That being said, in saucy tomatoey recipes, a very small amount of agave or maple syrup can go a long way in balancing out the tartness of the tomatoes. If you really want to be a WFPB purist, you can use whole date paste instead of agave or maple syrup, but we’re talking about a tiny amount of sweetener in the context of a lot of wholesome plant fiber, so I choose to not overthink it and would even consider using white or brown sugar if I didn’t have agave or maple syrup on hand. Another advantage of adding a bit of sweetener is that in a fat free, or nearly fat free, recipe, the sweetener helps to blend flavors together in the way that oil or fat does in more traditional cooking.
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TVP Chili Pinto and Red Beans Vegan
Ingredients
- ½ cup texturized vegetable protein (TVP)
- 1 cup water or vegan broth (for soaking the TVP)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)
- ½ cup water or vegan broth (for low or no oil sautéing)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 1 Anaheim pepper, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt (optional)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons agave or maple syrup
- 1 15.5 oz can pinto beans (with liquid)
- 1 15.5 oz can dark red kidney beans (with liquid)
- 1 1 Lb 12 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup green onions, finely chopped (optional, for garnish)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Place the textured vegetable protein (TVP) in water or broth, and soak for 30 minutes. Use this time to prepare your other ingredients. Then press to drain TVP and discard the excess liquid. I like to use a fine mesh strainer for this step.
- If using oil, heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. If you are making an oil free version of this recipe use 3 Tbsps of water or broth instead of the oil. Whether or not you are using oil, keep extra water or broth next to the stove as you will need to add a little at a time during the next steps.
- Add onions to the pot and sauté for about 5 minutes or until transparent, adding a little bit of water or broth at a time if the onions begin to stick to the pot.
- Add TVP and garlic to the onions and sauté for about another minute adding more liquid if necessary.
- Add pepper and carrots and a bit more liquid. Sauté for 3 more minutes.
- Add salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon and sauté for a few more seconds to bring out the fragrance in the spices.
- Mix in the beans, crushed tomatoes and agave. Allow mixture to come to a boil then lower heat to medium-low and cook stirring occasionally for 45 minutes.
- Serve in bowls and garnish with green onions and/or cilantro if desired.
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