An easy, delicious and protein-packed vegan chilli, great for batch-cooking and post-workout meals! And as a bonus, it's all made in one-pot, which means less washing up too.
Today I'm going back to basics and re-making an old favourite: Chilli Con Carne. A meat-free version, of course.
This recipe is also packed with plant-based protein (a whopping 25g protein per serving!) which will shut up any annoying people who ask "whErE dO yOu GeT yOuR pRoTeiN thOUgh??"
Featured in: 30 High Protein Vegan Recipes
Ingredients
For this chilli, you will need:
- Lentils - I use red split lentils, which require no soaking and cook quickly
- Kidney beans - or you can substitute black beans
- Soy mince - I use frozen soy mince which is really handy. If using dried mince, you may need to add some water with it, to rehydrate the mince.
- Chopped tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Peppers
- Celery
- Garlic
- Seasonings - Chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper to taste
- Balsamic vinegar
- Miso paste - or marmite, for depth of flavour.
- Fresh coriander
Recipe Tips
A few tips to get the best results from this recipe.
Cooking Shortcuts
If you want to make it extra easy, you can buy ready-prepared soffrito mixes at the supermarket, either in the fresh veg or frozen section.
This is a mixture of pre-chopped onion, celery and carrots which is the beginning of this recipe, and many others.
A very handy mixture to keep in the freezer for soups, veggie bolognese etc.
Bulk Cooking & Meal Prep
It's perfect for making a big portions in advance which you can freeze for up to 3 months or keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Plus, this pot is so ridiculously easy to clean, it makes the whole cooking process a breeze, including washing-up.
Video
📖 Recipe
Easy Vegan Chilli Sin Carne
An easy, delicious and meat-free chilli sin carne recipe that is perfect for making ahead and freezing. It's also packed full of plant-based protein, making it a great post-workout dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 red peppers, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 x 400 g / 14 oz tins of chopped tomatoes
- 1 x 400g / 14 oz tin red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 100 g / 3.5 oz split red lentils*
- 400 g / 14 oz frozen soy mince
- 250 ml / 1 cup vegetable stock
Optional add-ins
- 1 tsp miso paste
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- A large handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
To serve
- Basmati rice
- Extra chopped coriander
- A squeeze of lime juice
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.
- Sauté the garlic, onion, celery, carrots and peppers for a few minutes, on a medium heat, until softened.
- Add the cumin, chilli powder, salt and pepper and stir.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, lentils, soy mince and vegetable stock. Add in the extra flavourings, if using.
- Simmer for 25 minutes.
- Serve with some steamed basmati rice, some fresh torn coriander and a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!
- Freezes well. Keeps for up to 4 days refrigerated.
Notes
Note: The only thing that stops this recipe from being gluten-free, is that most soy-mince brands I've seen tend to have barley in the ingredients. Other than that, it's gluten-free friendly!
*Make sure to use red split lentils, which require no soaking and cook quickly. Other lentils will require different cooking times and soaking requirements.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size ⅙ portionsAmount Per Serving Calories 412Total Fat 17gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 59mgSodium 491mgCarbohydrates 37gFiber 8gSugar 9gProtein 27g
Lakshmi says
Hi there,
I tried making this recipe last night and I am sorry to say that I differ from all these people above. I followed the recipe to the T but the dish I produced was nothing more than an average. Considering that it took me about 2-3 hours to get it done, I was incredibly disappointed. Also, the amount of stock that you have used is only 1 cup and it was no where near close enough to fully cook the lentils. It may be because the kind of lentils we used were different yet I still wish that you warned me about this in your introduction to this dish. You do spend a lot of time telling us readers how it personally appeals to you, but I think that space would be better spent if you just tell us what are the risks associated with this cooking (I got sick after eating the lentils, had to miss out on three days work) or elaborate more on the difficulty or discuss cooking techniques you used. I won't be coming back to this site.
Megan says
Sorry, but I have to chime in on this comment because it really bothered me. Lakshmi, I’m sorry this recipe did not work out for you. I believe you are right about the stock and lentil ratio being off (I believe Dainius mentioned that in an earlier comment). However, I think instead of blaming the author for your particular outcome that you should take some responsibility. If the lentils seem undercooked then improvise the recipe and add more stock to it, or try presoaking the lentils beforehand. There’s nothing wrong with making little changes here and there to ensure a recipe tastes good and is cooked properly. What I gathered from your comment was that despite the lentils being undercooked you still ate them. It’s kind of common knowledge that you do NOT eat dry or undercooked beans because it will make you sick. Once again, I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you, but take some responsibility.
Btw, Aimee, I have not tried this recipe yet, but it looks amazing and I can’t wait to make it in the very near future!
Natasha says
The same thing just happened to me. For some reason the red lentils didnt cook in the said time, of course I just added more water and cooked it for longer. BUT now the other ingredients have lost the intended texture and basically I'm left with a rather mushy dish (with hard lentils). Quite disappointed and now going to have get a take away because its too late to buy other ingredients and too late too cook :( it's taken like 3 hours but the lentils still arent cooked. Given up. Just a warning to others, may be worth pre cooking those lentils if you do try the recipe.
Nina says
Hi, will have to try this. Which frozen soy mince do you use? (I live in UK) I keep,try different ones but they always seem so chewy. Prior to giving up meat I always used to cook it really long and slow as I dislike the chewy texture.
Kelly says
If you go on the world food or bean eisle at the supermarket, there's actually packets of dry soya which I personally quite like. It only needs soaking in hot water for about 10 mins, and then it's good to chuck into whatever you're cooking!
Zoe says
I used the chorizo crumbles from morning star brand and it was absolutely delicious!
Vonne says
My 10 year old Grandson told his my this was his best meal ever
Aimee says
Aw, that just made my day! Thank you Vonne :-)
Dainius says
Needs way more stock (or water) if you are making it with dried soy mince! Need to pour at least additional 500ml to make it the texture like in the video above. Otherwise, it will not cook and will be very dry.
Trisha says
This looks amazing!!!... although do you know what the soy can be substituted for?
Looking forward to trying it, thanks
Flora says
I hate using mince substitutes in dishes because of the texture but you can swap it out for black or green lentils and it works pretty well. You will have to increase the volume of water used in the recipe if you are doing this