How To Make a Cook-Off Winning Chili

“Anyone that eats Chili and Cornbread can't be all bad!”

It’s officially fall and football season friends, and what pairs better with these two things? Chili! Aahh, sweet, sweet chili.

I adore crockpot recipes but as a vegetarian I don’t have a lot in my cookbook pile. Don’t worry, I’ll work on that, but one of my favorite slow cook recipes is my vegetarian chili with a few secret ingredients. Keep reading to learn what those are.

Chili is one of those meals that everyone has their own best version. From bean chili, white chicken chili, Cincinnati chili, Texas chili, and so on. Chili is simply one of those best comfort foods for the fall season.

Not to toot my own horn, but this vegetarian version has won a few contests in my day. Sure, they were small office chili cook-offs, but I won against many, many meat filled chilis. So that’s a triumph in my book!  

Intrigued? Well, here’s how it’s done.

How to Make This Chili

Begin by adding olive oil to your pan and brown your veggie meat. My favorite brand in this recipe is Impossible Burger as it has a perfect flavor for chili. However, you can use any vegetarian meat you want – Morning Star, Beyond Meat, Gardein, Quorn, etc. Don’t cook the meat fully but I like to cook it enough so that it begins to brown (about 5 – 10 minutes). Add meat to your crockpot.

Next add more oil to the pan, chop your onion and sauté in the same pan you browned the meat. Sauté until tender, about 6-9 minutes. Add to your crockpot.

Add remaining ingredients (listed below), cover, and cook on low for 5 – 6 hours. For the spices, you can always use a simple chili seasoning packing, but I love adding my own measurements.

Now, here’s the good part - about 30 - 45 minutes before you plan to serve your winning chili, add a dark beer and dark chocolate, allowing the chocolate to melt on top before stirring.

Oh, and don’t forget to drink the rest of that dark beer that doesn’t get added to the chili.

Finally, top your chili with your favorite toppings – green onions, cheddar cheese, sour cream or whatever else you like. Don’t forget your cornbread.

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

• 8 – 10 oz Impossible Burger Meat (or use your favorite vegetarian meat)

• 1 can (16 oz) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 can (16 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

• 2 cans (8 oz each) tomato sauce

• 1 small sweet onion, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped (or 1 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic)

• 1 bell pepper, chopped

• 1 tablespoon Chili Powder

• 1 tablespoon cumin

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

• 1/3 bar of dark chocolate (I like to use an 85% cacao dark chocolate)

• ½ can/bottle of a porter or stout beer 

*Note: I tend to simply toss in my spices without measuring. My measurements above are an estimate so use your best judgement. Just remember you can always add but you can’t take away.

DIRECTIONS

1. Add half of the olive oil to your pan and brown the veggie meat. Don’t cook the meat fully but cook enough so it begins to brown (about 5 – 10 minutes). Add to your crockpot.

2. Chop your onion, add remaining olive oil to the same pan, and sauté onion until tender, about 6-9 minutes. Add to your crockpot.

3. Add remaining ingredients, cover, and cook on low for 5 – 6 hours.

4. About 30 - 45 minutes before you plan to serve chili, add the dark beer and dark chocolate, allowing the chocolate to melt on top before stirring.

5. Top with your favorite additions like green onions, cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, lettuce, cornbread, or… whatever creative inspiration you have.

Peace & Love,
Nikki

---

Did you make this recipe? Let me know how it went.

Please leave a comment below or share a photo on Instagram and tag @TheSunshineHustle.

---