A 5 Bean Chilli is an easy family-friendly dish, perfect for meat-free days and suitable for vegans. It's full of fibre, very economical and healthy. Made mainly from store cupboard ingredients it's super handy too. You can rustle this up in just 25 minutes and it also freezes well, so is great for batch cooking. Using 5 different beans gives this meat-free chilli a variety of delicious flavours and textures.
Chillis are hugely popular. This recipe has a nice kick but is not overly spicy. A Mixed Bean Chilli makes a great alternative to a meat version. If you're looking for the texture of a meat chilli, try my Quorn Chilli. Quorn is a plant-based meat replacement and has all the texture of ground beef. For an alternative vegetarian chilli, check out my popular Sweet Potato chilli. For a slightly different bean-based meal, try my simple Hungarian Bean Goulash.
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Ingredients
Five Bean Chilli uses simple store cupboard ingredients.
- Red Onion - these give the chilli a bit of sweetness
- Red Bell Pepper - use red bell peppers or yellow. Green ones have a more bitter taste.
- Ground Cumin - this gives the chilli a warm earthy flavour.
- Sweet Smoked Paprika - use sweet smoked paprika if you can. If not a smoked paprika will do.
- Mild Chilli powder - I recommend mild chilli powder which will give lots of flavour but not too much spice.
- Chopped tomatoes - canned or tinned chopped tomatoes. Use a good quality variety. Cheaper varieties have more added water so will make the sauce more runny.
- Beans - Use canned, hydrated beans in water. Choose mixed beans from any of the following. Kidney beans, pinto, black beans, cannellini, butter beans, borlotti beans, Flageolet, Adzuki, or red beans.
- Chocolate - a traditional Mexican Chilli will often use dark chocolate. The dark chocolate gives it a deeper richer flavour and brings out the flavour of the spices. If you don't have dark chocolate, add one tablespoon of sugar to balance the flavours.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and fry the onions, peppers, and garlic over a medium heat for 3 - 4 minutes.
Add the ground cumin, sweet smoked paprika, and mild chilli powder. Stir and fry for a further 1 minute. to release the flavours.
Add the chopped tomatoes, drained and rinsed beans, chocolate, or sugar, and season with pepper. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
Sprinkle the chopped fresh coriander over the top and serve.
Hint: You can easily make this recipe in advance and re-heat it when you're ready making it ideal for meal prepping.
Why Choose a Bean Chilli?
There are lots of benefits of a vegetarian bean chilli.
- Low carbon footprint - beans have a very low carbon footprint compared to meat so swapping a meat chilli for a bean version will help significantly reduce your carbon footprint. For more information about this and how to eat a sustainable diet check out my blog post.
- Healthy - beans are a good source of protein, vitamins, and minerals and are low in fat.
- Economical - a bean chilli is cheap to make.
- Store cupboard - it can be made mainly from store cupboard ingredients making it a great go-to recipe.
- Freezes well - you can freeze it for up to three months so it's a great recipe to batch cook to save time and energy costs.
- Quick - there is minimal prep time and it cooks in just 20 minutes.
- Leftovers - make a great lunch the next day.
Why 5 Beans?
Beans add flavour and texture to this meat-free chilli so choosing five different varieties of beans keeps it interesting. You can of course make a 4 bean Chilli or a 3 Bean Chilli if you prefer. Just keep the overall quantity of beans the same.
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Variations
- Spicy - I've used mild chilli powder, but if you want to make it spicier, use a stronger chilli powder.
- Deluxe - add guacamole, soured cream, or grated cheese as toppings.
- Kid-friendly - serve with tortilla corn chips or let your kids sprinkle some chocolate shavings over the top.
- Vegetables - as well as onions and peppers, you can also add mushrooms. They have a meaty texture and will make the recipe go further. You may need to add some water or a little vegetable stock to ensure you have enough liquid.
Serving Suggestion
One of the best things about Chilli is the variety of ways you can serve it. I like to put a load of toppings in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves.
- Carbs - the most common way to serve a chilli is with rice or on top of a baked potato. I like to use brown rice as it has a nice nutty flavour and is more nutritious than white rice.
- Wraps - serve it with some tortilla wraps, pitta breads, a simple flatbread or just a crusty loaf.
- Toppings - fresh coriander (cilantro), sliced avocado, soured cream, grated cheese, grated chocolate.
- Sides - green salad, tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa.
- Vegan toppings - look for vegan alternatives to soured cream or check out this vegan soured cream recipe from Cookie & Kate. You can also now buy a wide variety of vegan cheeses.
Sustainability
A Bean Chilli has a low carbon footprint and is a great option for meat-free days. Try to buy vegetables loose without any plastic packaging. You can also buy some varieties of beans as Fairtrade as well as Fairtrade spices. Fairtrade is an international organisation that works with small scale farmers to enure they are paid a fair price and living wage for their produce. They also help farmers adapt to the challenges faced by climate change to ensure they can keep farming their land.
Equipment
All you need to make this 5 Bean Chilli is a large stove-top casserole dish.
Storage
Store your bean chilli in the fridge for 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat it, reheat smaller portions in a microwave to save on energy or larger quantities on the hob or stovetop. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick.
Top tip
Because this meat-free chilli freezes well, you can easily double the quantity and make a batch to save on energy costs and time.
Related
Looking for other Chilli or Bean Based recipes like this? Try these:
More Easy Budget Meals
Not only is this 5 Bean Chilli a quick and easy meal and an easy addition to a sustainable diet, it's also very cheap to make. For more budget meal ideas check out these recipes :-
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📖 Recipe
5 Bean Chilli
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil organic, fairtrade
- 2 red onions organic, peeled and diced
- 2 red or yellow bell peppers organic, deseeded and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves organic, peeled and crushed
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin organic, fairtrade
- 2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika organic, fairtrade
- 2 teaspoon mild chilli powder organic, fairtrade
- 800 g chopped tomatoes organic, tinned
- 400 g Mixed beans in water organic, fairtrade, drained and rinsed
- 400 g Kidney Beans organic, fairtrade, drained and rinsed or black beans
- 20 g dark chocolate organic, fairtrade or 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 dash black pepper organic, fairtrade, freshly ground
- 4 tablespoon coriander fresh, leaves only, to serve, optional
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a large frying pan and fry the onions, peppers, and garlic over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 red onions, 2 red or yellow bell peppers, 2 garlic cloves
- Add the ground cumin, sweet smoked paprika, and mild chilli powder. Stir and fry for a further 1 minute. to release the flavours.2 teaspoon ground cumin, 2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika, 2 teaspoon mild chilli powder
- Add the chopped tomatoes, drained and rinsed beans, chocolate, or sugar, and season with pepper. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.800 g chopped tomatoes, 400 g Mixed beans in water, 400 g Kidney Beans, 20 g dark chocolate, 1 dash black pepper
- Sprinkle the chopped fresh coriander over the top and serve.4 tablespoon coriander
Notes
Ingredient Notes
-
- Red Onion - these give the chilli a bit of sweetness
-
- Red Bell Pepper - use red bell peppers or yellow. Green ones have a more bitter taste.
-
- Ground Cumin - this gives the chilli a warm earthy flavour.
-
- Sweet Smoked Paprika - use a sweet smoked paprika if you can. If not a smoked paprika will do.
-
- Mild Chilli powder - A mild chilli powder gives lots of flavour but is not too spicy.
-
- Chopped tomatoes - canned or tinned chopped tomatoes. Use a good quality variety. Cheaper varieties have more added water so will make the sauce more runny.
-
- Beans - Use canned, hydrated beans in water. Choose mixed beans from any of the following. Kidney beans, pinto, black beans, cannellini, butter beans, borlotti beans, Flageolet, Adzuki or red beans.
-
- Chocolate - a traditional Mexican Chilli will often use dark chocolate. The dark chocolate gives it a deeper richer flavour and brings out the flavour of the spices. If you don't have dark chocolate, add in one tablespoon of sugar to balance the flavours.
Serving Suggestions
-
- Carbs - the most common ways to serve a chilli is with rice or on top of a baked potato.
-
- Wraps - serve it with some tortilla wraps, pitta breads, a simple flatbread or just a crusty loaf.
-
- Toppings - fresh coriander (cilantro), sliced avocado, soured cream, grated cheese, grated chocolate.
-
- Sides - green salad, tortilla chips, guacamole, salsa.
-
- Vegan toppings - look for vegan alternatives to soured cream or check out this vegan soured cream recipe from Cookie & Kate. You can also now buy a wide variety of vegan cheeses.
Storage
Store your bean chilli in the fridge for 3 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat it, reheat smaller portions in a microwave to save on energy or larger quantities on the hob or stovetop. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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