Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne – or Chilli Sin Carne to be Precise
It was ages ago when I cooked Chilli Con Carne for the first time. And it was so easy back then! At first, I fried some beef. Next, I opened a pack of seasoning mix, added it along with tomatoes and red beans and done! Yes, however much I am embarrassed to admit to it now, I have to make this confession. In the past, I used a shop-bought mix to make that dish. And there is something even more embarrassing. When that ready to prepare packet wasn’t available anymore… I stopped cooking Chilli Con Carne.
It took me some time to realize I could make it myself from scratch and it would taste equally good or even better. And furthermore – I would exactly know what was in it.
When I started preparing proper Chilli Con Carne, it soon became one of our family's favourites. So when my daughter decided to go on a plant-based diet, I knew I had to face another challenge. I had to cook a meal that is based on meat without the meat. And obviously, I had to make it taste like a real thing.
Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne Recipe – How to Achieve the Authentic Flavour
Finding a replacement for meat wasn't that difficult. Just as it was in case of vegetarian Bolognese Sauce, I used mushrooms. In my opinion, it is quite easy to achieve a texture and look of fried minced meat when you use thinly chopped champignons instead. But I still had to get the same taste of the Vegetarian Chili Con Carne as we knew from the meaty version. I decided to take the easiest route and to use for my Veggie Chilli Con Carne, the same ingredients and spices as I did for the original dish. I think this strategy worked incredibly well. There were quite a few people who couldn't believe it was indeed Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne.
P.S. If you would like to have a Vegan Chili Con Carne, either omit the sour cream or replace it with a vegan equivalent.
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
people
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- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1.5 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 500 g mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes (approx. 400 g)
- 200 ml tomato passata
- 1 tin red beans
- 5-10 g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
- sour cream (or vegan substitute)
- Cheddar cheese (or vegan substitute), grated
- cooked rice
Ingredients
To serve:
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- Heat the olive oil in a big frying pan; add the onions and garlic, sweat on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the cumin and chilli, fry for a minute.
- Add the mushrooms and fry for 3-5 minutes.
- Add chopped tomatoes, passata, salt and fry for 10-15 minutes till the sauce thickens.
- Add chocolate, red beans and adjust the seasoning. Serve on a bed of cooked rice with a dollop of sour cream and grated cheese on top.
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So yummy! Can’t wait to try this
It is! You will be surprised that it tastes like the original version made with meat 🙂