Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne with black beans, quinoa and plenty of veggies. A simple one-pot dish and perfect for beginners! It the world’s best vegetarian chili recipe!
What is the first meal you cooked when you first moved out of home?
Mine was Chilli Con Carne. I had never tasted it before, not that I remember. After living out of home for 2 months and living of canned potato salad, I was determined to learn how to cook and FAST!
In the seasoning pre-packaged meals aisle of Woolworths, I spent an hour deciding what dish to prepare. Photographs on the front of the spice mixes promised simple sophisticated meals filled with flavour. After mixing the spices with some onion, carrots and water you would have dinner!
After indecisively looking at the options, I selected Chilli Con Carne. Proudly, I took the packet home and prepared my first bowl. After taking my first mouthful, I was overwhelmed with delight. The recipe ticked all my boxes. It was delicious and Oh so perfect! Cooking, it seemed, wasn’t all that difficult after all!
Chilli Con Carne was everything.
- Being a one-pot meal, it was easy and simple to prepare.
- It was SO delicious and adaptable to different meals.
- It was freezable.
I added Chilli Con Carne to my repertoire and prepared it every week. I eventually became confident and learned how to create my own spice and seasoning recipe. I changed the ratios of vegetables and discovered how to make chili vegetarian, vegan and even gluten free! With time, the recipe became my own.
What I love about this recipe is that it’s a one-pot meal. It’s easy to adapt into other recipes like nachos and burritos. Most importantly, it’s completely delicious!
The Best Vegetarian Chilli Tips:
Chilli Con Carne, also known as “Chili” depending on your country of origin, is a stew containing chili, typically meat, tomatoes and beans. Spices vary from recipe to recipe, however, most recipes include paprika, cumin, garlic and coriander.
Despite the original name meaning “chilli with meat”, there are various no meat chilli recipes. Also known as “Chilli Sin Carne”, these meatless alternatives can include tofu, lentils or quorn mince.
In this recipe, I used quinoa as it’s high in protein and no pre-soaking is required like lentils.
With a little help of an easy homemade Chilli Con Carne seasoning, your Chilli will be infused with gorgeous, complex and rich flavours. The most typical chilli con carne spice mix is made up of your latin-based aromatics like onions and garlic. Followed by chilli, smoked paprika and cumin.
It is important to trust your taste and change the recipe to make the dish your own. Experiment with other herbs and spices like coriander, raw cocoa or even oregano. Lastly, limit the amount of salt for a low sodium chilli seasoning recipe.
A little tip from the iconic Nigella Lawson is to add a small amount of dark chocolate. Not only does dark chocolate balance the acidity from tomatoes, it also adds body and depth to the dish taking it up a notch!
The perfect meatless replacement for Chili is lentils, chickpeas, tofu or even quorn mince. My preference is to add quinoa. It adds a beautiful texture, while being equally high in protein and filled with other nutrients.
There are so many different meals you can prepare from a simple Chilli recipe.
Make the recipe your own by serving it with sweet potato, mushrooms, butternut squash, rice or even wrapped up in a burrito with some feta!
You can freeze Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne. To get the best texture and flavours from the meal, it’s recommended you freeze no longer than 6 months.
Chilli Con Carne Hints:
PLAN AHEAD to cook your dry black beans in advance. Cooked dry beans are tastier than the canned equivalent. I guarantee that you’ll never return to the canned variety once you’ve prepared them from scratch!
To help out, I have a post which outlines How To Cook Black Beans.
DOUBLE THE RECIPE to freeze portions for another day or for another meal.
WASTE NOT and finely chop the coriander stalks, distributing it in the mix. Trust me, it will make the flavours pop!
PLAY with flavours and textures by adding different herbs and aromatics like citrus zest, feta cheese or tortilla chips for a greater crunch!
Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne with Black Beans and Quinoa
Ingredients:
Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 red capsicum seeds removed, cut into cubes
- 2 Coriander sprigs washed, sprigs finely chopped, leaves put aside for garnish
- 1 cup tri-colour quinoa rinsed under water
- ¾ cups dry black beans cooked (or 2 x 400g can of black beans)
- 600 ml filtered water
- 400 g canned whole Italian tomatoes
Chilli Seasoning
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*
- 1/2 tsp raw cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
Serving Suggestions
- Brown rice cooked as per packet instructions
- Natural yogurt (or vegan equivalent)
- Cilantro leaves to garnish
- Avocado, cubed
Instructions:
- In a medium-sized pot, heat extra virgin olive oil over a medium heat. Add the red onion and cook for approximately 2 minutes or until the onions are clear. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Stir through the cubed capsicum, chopped coriander stalks and Chilli Seasoning. While stirring occassionally, cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Stir through the quinoa, black beans, canned whole Italian tomatoes and 600ml of filtered water. Bring to a gentle simmer, stir occassionally, and cook for 30 minutes until the quinoa is el dente. (If the beans and quinoa soak up too much of the liquid, add an additional splash of water)
- Serve on some fluffy brown rice with a dollop of yogurt and cilantro leaves to garnish! Bon Appètit! 🙂
Notes:
Nutrition:
Disclosure:
Equipment: This recipe may contain links to products and equipment that I use and love myself. The links may contain affiliate links, meaning if you click the link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you.
Nutrition: The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and does not include any other condiments or garnishes. Although Curated Life Studio attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered as estimates and do not replace or substitute a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Hey There, I’m Kylie. My passion is plant-based recipes and I want to help you create something gorgeous!
I believe in taking a slow approach to food – to eat locally, seasonally and consciously.
When I’m not taking photos, you can find me wandering the coastal paths of South-East Australia.
Tamara says
I tried this last night with my family and they all wanted seconds. My Husband didn’t even know it was vegetarian. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Kylie (Author) says
Thanks so much for your comment Tamara! I’m so glad your family loved it! 🙂
Emily Fata says
Oh my goodness, this looks like such a delicious recipe! With so many autumn parties coming up in the near future, this would be a great thing to make when either hosting your own, or being invited to someone else’s!
Kylie (Author) says
I couldn’t agree with you more! You can also prepare heaps of different variations like nachos or even burritos!
Rose says
Wow.. Thanks for this wonderful idea. I think I would enjoy eating this even if it’s vegetarian.
Kylie (Author) says
My pleasure Rose! I think sometimes it’s best to try vegetarian alternatives, you never know how delicious it could be! 🙂
Luci says
This is such a different twist on vegetarian chili! The quinoa does the trick I suppose. It looks so intriguing, I might have to try it in place of my standard vegetarian chili.
Kylie (Author) says
Absolutely, the quinoa acts as a mince alternative and it has the same amount of protein! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Lindsay Veremis says
Hold on while I wipe up the puddle of drool that has accumulated while I was reading this… Seriously, we love chili and primarily eat vegetarian meals. This is so perfect for our family. Your food photography is amazing!
Kylie (Author) says
Haha! Thanks so much for your comment Lindsay! 🙂
I would love to hear how the recipe turns out!
Michael says
It has been days since I ate rice but I think this recipe would be perfect with it. Man, I am still on a diet. Maybe when its cheat day haha!
Kylie (Author) says
This recipe is actually really nice served without the rice, or with brown rice for those wanting low GI meals! Happy Cooking! 🙂
Maartje van Sandwijk says
This sounds so good <3 Perfect meal for autumn!
Kylie (Author) says
Thanks Maartje, I couldn’t agree with you more! 🙂
Kuntala says
I loved this recipe because it is vegetarian and I love to eat dishes with vegetables!
Kylie (Author) says
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it Kuntala! Thanks so much for your comment!
Maud says
Yum! This looks wonderfully easy and tasty. I’m new to cooking black beans so this post was super helpful in making me feel more knowledgeable and to teach me to prepare them more confidently. Thank you. x
Laura says
This dish looks so delicious. I would love to try this recipe out sometime x
Kylie (Author) says
Thanks so much Laura, I would love to hear how it turns out! 🙂 x
Ellie Plummer says
This sounds so delicious. I love trying vegetarian and vegan alternatives and I love chilli, so will be trying this.
Kylie (Author) says
Awesome Ellie, please let me know how the recipe goes! x
Sarah says
This looks absolutely delicious!
Kylie (Author) says
I promise you it is! 😉
Bindu says
This is such an amazing recipe and so simple to prepare too! So beneficial for those living away from home.
Kylie (Author) says
Absolutely! Thanks so much for your comment Bindu! 🙂 x
Agnes says
Omg! This vegetarian Chilli Con Carne sounds really yummy! I will definitely try this recipe asap!
Kylie (Author) says
Thanks Agnes, please let me know how it goes! 🙂
Jose says
I love this recipe soooo much! Super easy and delicious!
Celeste says
I love vegetarian recipes that are bursting with flavour and are satisfying!
This recipe is good for me at any time of the year!
Kristal says
OMG this looks so delicious I am going to have to make this for my family..
Bespoke Traveler says
The first meal I ever attempted on my own was fettuccine Alfredo! Now that the season is turning colder, your chili con carne recipe is going up on my short-list. I usually make mine with black beans, but your chickpea idea sounds delicious. Happy cooking. x
William says
Thanks for a marvelous post! I’ve really enjoyed reading it, one day you will be a great author!
I’ve bookmarked your blog and subscribed. I’m looking forward to your future posts.
I want to encourage you continue your great writing – please have a nice afternoon! 🙂
Jessie says
This is such a delicious meal, my husband and I consider it a favourite. Thank you for your culinarily creativity!
Kylie - Curated Life Studio says
Thank you so much for reaching out and for your beautiful comment, Jessie. You’ve made my day. It makes me so happy to hear that it’s become a favourite in your home! 🙂 x
Sam says
This was so easy and delicious! It’s been on repeat in our house. Thanks for the great recipe.
Trish says
We halve the recipe and serve them in tacos – DELICIOUS!
I would love to see some other variations of this recipe?
Kate says
I loved this variation of Chilli Con Carne – it’s so tasty. My meat-eating husband didn’t even realise it was vegan.