Meat-Lovers' Vegetarian Chili

Name: Meat-Lovers' Vegetarian Chili
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 6 h 15 min
Total time: 6 h 55 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided; 2 large red bell peppers, seeded and chopped; 2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped; 1 large onion, chopped; 5 cloves garlic, minced; 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, or more to taste; 2 cups hot vegetable broth; 2 cups texturized vegetable protein (TVP); 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast; 1 (32 ounce) can canned diced tomatoes, undrained; 2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed; 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed; ½ cup beer; 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste; ½ cup cider vinegar; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 tablespoons chili powder; 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder; 4 teaspoons seasoned salt; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1 tablespoon paprika; 1 tablespoon ground cumin; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring; 1 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon white sugar

7 Ratings
6 Reviews
1 Photo

This is a thick, hearty vegetarian chili that is a hit at parties even among die-hard meat eaters. The TVP gives it the texture of ground beef, and the chiles give it a nice depth of flavor. Cook it in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. This recipe really benefits from using the best quality ingredients you can find. Also, I find this tastes best after sitting in the fridge overnight and reheating the next day. Serve with grated cheese on top.

By J Phillips

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Recipe Summary

cook:

6 hrs 15 mins

total:

6 hrs 55 mins

prep:

40 mins

Servings:

Yield:

12 servings

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in skillet over medium-low heat. Add bell peppers, poblano peppers, onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook and stir until soft, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker.

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Step 2
Combine hot vegetable broth and TVP in a bowl; stir and let sit until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add to the slow cooker.
Step 3
Place diced tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, tomato paste, beer, vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice, chili powder, cocoa powder, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cumin, oregano, liquid smoke, black pepper, and sugar into the slow cooker. Mix to combine.
Step 4
Cook chili on Low for 6 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours.

Cook's Notes:

Use your favorite beer!

For low-moderate spice, start with 1/2 to 1 jalapeno, but 2 or 3 (or more!) may be needed if you like it hot. I'd recommend starting on the low side and checking the spice level after 3 to 4 hours of cooking, adding more jalapeno as needed.

The longer this chili cooks, the better. Alternatively, add all ingredients to a large pot and simmer on the stove over low heat for 4 to 6 hours.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

300 calories; protein 25g; carbohydrates 32.7g; fat 9.1g; sodium 1346.8mg. Full Nutrition

FRIEDSUGAR

01/23/2020

This is excellent. I'm not sure why it calls for 6 T of olive oil divided because the other 3 T don't show up anywhere else in the recipe. Neither does the nutritional yeast that I bought specifically for this recipe. I was so focused on following the recipe, that I didn't put it in because it wasn't listed in the directions. I didn't have any unsweetened cocoa, so it got left out but I can see how it would add even more depth to the taste. Poblano chilis weren't available, so I used Anaheim instead. I cooked it for about 9.5 hours overnight, unplugged it in the morning to cool, and refrigerated until it was lunch time. Would be great with some non-dairy sour cream. Well worth all the chopping.

7 Ratings

5 star values: 6
4 star values: 1
3 star values: 0
2 star values: 0
1 star values: 0

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FRIEDSUGAR

01/23/2020

lsbfun

12/12/2018

Delicious! We used 2 cups of Gardien beef less ground for the TVP. Also, because people in the house like to decrease the hot spice, we only used one orange pepper rather than the peppers recommend. Decreased the vinegar to 1/2 c and also halved quantities of spices except for soy and Worcester sauce. We added 3/4 recommended amount for cocoa. Cooked it for 4 hours on the stovetop. Very flavorful. I think meat lovers would agree that it is a crowd pleaser for everyone. This is now the “go to” chili recipe.

Veggiegirl

11/28/2018

This is amazing vegetarian chili, with great depth of flavor. I am not usually a vegetarian chili fan and have tried numerous recipes in the past. This is BY FAR the best!

mesavage

01/17/2018

Family of vegetarians loved it! Didn't use Worcestershire sauce - not vegetarian. Didn't use (didn't have) nutritional yeast and liquid smoke. Thanks - this is a keeper!

Jacqueline Smith

04/07/2020

Made this chili as directed. It was amazing!!! I’ll definitely make this again. Super easy.

ferretlibby

02/16/2022

The only changes I made was I omitted the salt (it didn't need it at all) and didn't have beer.

Aside from that, I made it exactly as it is.

I'm not telling anyone it's vegetarian until after they eat. I tasted it and it is fantastic.

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Meat-Lovers' Vegetarian Chili

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Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Cook's Notes:

Nutrition Facts

Reviews (6)

Most helpful positive review

All Reviews for Meat-Lovers' Vegetarian Chili

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Meat-Lovers' Vegetarian Chili

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Cook's Notes:

Nutrition Facts

Reviews (6)

Most helpful positive review

All Reviews for Meat-Lovers' Vegetarian Chili