Veggie Chilli

Most veggie chillis taste thin because they are rushed. This one gets its depth from two things instead of meat: softening the onion, carrot and celery properly, and frying the spices for a minute before the liquid goes in. It costs very little, feeds four generously, and genuinely improves overnight — so a double batch is rarely a mistake.

Prep: 15 minutes · Cook: 35 minutes · Total: 50 minutes · Serves 4

Equipment

• Large saucepan or casserole pot
• Wooden spoon

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2–1 tsp chilli powder, to taste
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 x 400g tins mixed beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 vegetable stock cube dissolved in 200ml water
• Salt and black pepper
• Rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
2. Add the garlic, tomato purée, cumin, smoked paprika and chilli powder. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, until fragrant.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, beans and stock. Stir well, bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered for 25–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over rice.

Tips

• The chilli tastes even better the next day once the spices have settled into the sauce.
• For a smokier finish, hold back a pinch of smoked paprika and stir it in at the end.
• Simmer uncovered. A lid traps the steam and leaves you with soup rather than chilli.

Substitutions

• Use any combination of tinned beans you have: black beans, kidney beans or chickpeas all work.
• Add a diced bell pepper or a handful of frozen sweetcorn with the tomatoes.
• Stir in cooked minced beef or turkey with the vegetables for a meat version.

Storage

Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost fully in the fridge and reheat until piping hot throughout before serving.

Food safety

Tinned beans are already cooked, so they only need heating through. If you ever use dried kidney beans instead, soak them and boil hard for at least 10 minutes before simmering — undercooked kidney beans are toxic.

Allergens as written

• Celery
• Check the stock cube (often contains celery, and sometimes wheat or milk)

Nutrition estimate

• Calories: Roughly 320 kcal per serving (estimate, based on 4 servings, excluding rice)
• Protein: Roughly 16g
• Carbohydrates: Roughly 45g
• Fat: Roughly 9g

Cooking for someone who avoids certain foods? Eat In AI can adapt this chilli and flag hidden allergens before you shop.

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• One-Pan Chicken Traybake — A forgiving chicken traybake with baby potatoes, peppers and lemon — one tray, 15 minutes of chopping, and the oven does the rest.