Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne

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.