Okay, so we know what you’re thinking: chili is about meat. But your chili cookoff this year, what about trying something a little different? Eating veggies is getting cool again. And chili without meat can be even more creative and delicious as as its meat-filled counterpart. Here at A Couple Cooks, Alex and I are not even vegetarian: we’re flexitarian. This means we eat a mostly plant based diet, but splurge on meat on occasion. And for us, we’d rather pile on the veggies in chili and save our meat quota for a big juicy burger. So here are the top unique chili recipes we’ve created that hit all the notes of the fall while being meatless. They’ve got big flavor, but are fully plant based. They’re actually all vegan chili recipes too—unless you decide to load them with sour cream and cheese. (Or just use our Vegan Sour Cream!)
What to serve with chili
Before we start: what to serve with these unique chili recipes? Our favorite is the classic standard: cornbread! We’ve got two great recipes, depending on your diet preferences: Best Homemade Cornbread or Easy Vegan Cornbread. Or, a fun spin is this Kale Caesar Salad with Cornbread Croutons, a green salad that uses cornbread for the croutons instead. We’ve got lots more ideas where those came from. Try out all of our 10 best sides to go with chili!
And now…our top chili recipes!
Trick for chili: try chili seasoning!
Want a quick way to add spices to chili? Mix up a batch of Chili Seasoning! Approximate the volume of spices used in the recipe, and use the same amount of chili seasoning to taste. (It’s also great on vegetables or seafood!) For maximum flavor, we use green chiles (or jalapeños) for some spice, a crazy amount of chili powder, and a hint of chipotle powder to add omplexity. These tricks make this a vegetarian chili that’s hearty and not just “bean soup”. Serve with: Easy Vegan Cornbread And of course, the toppings are where it’s at in chili. We like to do a dollop of sour cream (or cashew cream or vegan sour cream for dairy-free) and hot sauce. Our favorite new healthy topping? Crunchy roasted salted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)! One of our reader said: “This Mango Black Bean Chili got rave reviews! It’s freaking delicious, high in vitamins and protein, lower in carbs and sugar, and literally took me 30 minutes to make (plus simmering and cleanup). Getting all three kids AND the grownups to agree on a healthy and easy meal is basically a miracle!” This vegan chili is light on the chili powder so the other flavors can shine; the secret ingredients are a bit of adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chili peppers in adobo (available at most groceries in the ethnic foods aisle), and a bit of white wine vinegar stirred in at the end for some brightness. If you love chili powder, the vegetarian chili above features a full ½ cup of chili powder, so try that one instead! A pressure cooker is a quick and easy way to make chili versus Crockpot chili, which takes hours and can turn out soggy. This Instant Pot chili is full of savory, hearty flavor. In fact…we might like it the best of all! Serve with homemade cornbread.
Looking for other vegetarian soups?
This website is full of vegetarian soups and vegan soups! Here are a few other vegetarian soups we’d recommend:
Moroccan Spiced Cauliflower Soup Italian Vegetable & Gnocchi Soup Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup with Stars 10 Filling Plant Based Dinner Recipes 25 Best Vegetarian Soup Recipes 25 Best Vegan Soup Recipes 13 Best Healthy & Easy Soup Recipes 8 Italian Soup Recipes
