This smoky mixed bean chilli non carne is packed full of flavour, super healthy, warm, hearty and utterly delicious! It is free from the top 14 allergens and make a perfect comforting family dinner.
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When the weather turns, it’s hard to beat a piping hot bowl of comforting chilli. This smoky mixed bean chilli non carne (without meat) requires minimal hands on time, just a little bit of prep then leave it to bubble away soaking in all the flavours from the spices. It makes the perfect comfort food on a chilly evening!
If you adore comfort food, you will also love my Chicken, Bacon & Mushroom Pie with Potato Topping and my Gluten Free Sausage Plait.
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🤔 Why Should You Make It?
- The health benefits of beans are unreal! They are packed full of protein, fibre, B vitamins, iron & antioxidants. They can also help lower cholesterol & regulate blood sugar and are a great way to get “all the good stuff” into your kids.
- It is super filling and cheap to make! Canned beans are such good value and you can make a family meal for four people for under £5.00, so even if you are a meat lover I urge you to give this a try and I bet you will not miss the meat!
- It’s a perfect recipe to batch cook, so double up on the recipe and place half in the freezer!
🍅 Ingredients
- Butter Beans / Cannellini Beans / 5 Bean Salad - The great thing about this recipe is you can mix up the beans and use whatever you have in the cupboard. I added a 5 bean salad which contains kidney beans, black eye beans, borlotti beans, pea navy beans, baby green lima beans & sweetcorn so gives a great variety. Be sure to rinse the vinaigrette from the bean salad before adding to the chilli.
- Chopped tomatoes - Use a good quality chopped tomato.
- Onion
- Red Pepper - Yellow or orange peppers would work just as well.
- Carrot
- Garlic
- Cumin - Along with the paprika and chilli powder, this is what gives the rich Tex-Mex classic flavour.
- Smoked Paprika
- Chilli Powder - Depending on how hot you like it, use either hot, medium or mild chilli powder. If cooking for kids who aren’t a fan of spice, use mild and use half the amount stated in the recipe.
- Cocoa Powder - The secret ingredient! Cocoa powder adds a real depth and richness to the chilli and helps to balance out the spiciness. You can also use a couple of small squares of dark chocolate as they are normally dairy free. (Double check packaging)
- Vegetable Stock - I have used Marigold Organic Vegetable Vegan Bouillon Powder as this stock is free from all of the top 14 allergens. Be sure to check the packet of your stock as most contain celery or gluten.
- Bayleaf - I have a bay tree in my garden, you can pick the leaves fresh from the tree, give them a wash under the tap and add them to dishes. They add another layer of flavour to stews and chilli’s.
- Olive Oil
Scroll to the recipe card for quantities.
✋ Be sure to double check all packaging for allergens. ✋
✏️ How To Make This Recipe
Start by dicing the onion, peppers and carrot. ( If you have fussy eaters chop the onion and pepper finely and grate the carrot!)
Pour a drizzle of olive oil in a large saucepan and fry off the onion, pepper and carrot on a low to medium heat until soft.
Mince or grate the garlic and add to the pan along with the all the spices. Stir and let the spices cook out for a minute or two.
Drain the beans into a sieve and rinse under the tap to wash off the vinaigrette.
Add the beans, chopped tomatoes, cocoa powder, vegetable stock & bayleaf.
The cocoa powder gives the chilli a real depth of flavour and is my secret ingredient!
Simmer on a low/medium heat for 30-35 minutes to let the flavours infuse together.
When serving, garnish with some sour cream, lime wedges and coriander (If you are dairy free you can use this plant based sour cream or Oatly creme fraiche)
⚡ Substitutions & Variations
Mix up the veg! - This is a great recipe to sneak vegetables into the kids! So if they are not a fan of peppers, swap it for their favourite veg. Mushrooms can also be chopped really finely and when added you will not know they are there!
Not a fan of spice? - If you don’t want too much of a spice kick use a mild chilli powder or use half the amount stated on the recipe card. If it’s still too spicy for you, adding some dairy free sour cream or creme fraiche to the chilli and mixing it through will help tone down the spice.
🍱 Leftovers
You can make a double batch of this mixed bean chilli and either store in the fridge for later in the week or freeze in portion sized containers and you will have a meal ready for those nights when you don’t have time to cook or simply can’t be bothered!
Storage - The chilli non carne will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Store it in an airtight Tupperware container.
Freezing - Separate the chilli into portions and freeze it flat in either a freezer bag or in an airtight freezer friendly container. The chilli will then keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Label the bag/container with the date and contents to help you keep track.
Defrosting - Remove the container from the freezer and leave to defrost in the fridge overnight.
Reheating - Reheat in a microwave for a few minutes, stirring after each minute to ensure it is fully re-heated evenly. Alternatively you can re-heat in a saucepan on the hob until piping hot.
💬 FAQ's
I have used a mixture of cannellini beans, butter beans and a tin of 5 bean salad (which is a mixture of kidney beans, black eye beans, borlotti beans, pea navy beans, baby green lima beans and sweetcorn) I drained the beans and then rinsed them as they came dressed in a vinaigrette.
The fab thing about this recipe is you can use whichever beans you fancy!
Don’t like kidney beans? Swap them for extra borlotti beans or cannellini beans! Haricot beans also work really well.
Of course!
Fry off the onion, garlic and vegetables with the spices in a saucepan for a few minutes, then transfer to the slow cooker along with the beans and the rest of the ingredients.
Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
This is a perfect dish to quickly prep in the morning and it’s all there ready and waiting when you get home…delicious!
This dish is so versatile and can be served in so many ways!
Serve with white long grain or wholemeal rice (Use the microwave rice to save even more time!)
It’s delicious served on top of a soft, sticky baked sweet potato sprinkled with dairy free cheese.
On its own for a light lunch.
Place inside tortilla wraps, roll up, put in an oven safe dish, top with grated cheese and bake for 20 mins for a veggie bean burrito. Yum!
💫 Love this recipe? It would be great if you could leave a 5 ⭐ rating and comment below! Thanks x 💫
Smoky Mixed Bean Chilli Non Carne
Ingredients
- 400g tin butter beans drained
- 400g tin cannellini beans drained
- 400g tin 5 bean salad drained and rinsed
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 onion diced
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 medium carrot diced or grated
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon chilli powder
- ½ tablespoon cocoa powder check ingredients
- 200 ml Marigold Organic Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Stock Cube double check for allergens if using a different brand.
- 1 bayleaf
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Dice the onion & peppers and dice or grate the carrot.1 onion, 1 medium carrot, 1 red pepper
- Pour a drizzle of olive oil in a large saucepan and fry off the onion, pepper and carrot on a low to medium heat until soft, about 4-5 minutes.2 tablespoon olive oil
- Mince or grate the garlic and add to the pan along with the all the spices. Stir and let the spices cook out for a few minutes.2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoon paprika, 2 teaspoon chilli powder
- Drain the beans into a sieve and rinse under the tap to wash off the vinaigrette.
- Add the beans, chopped tomatoes, cocoa powder, made up vegetable stock & bayleaf.400g tin butter beans, 400g tin cannellini beans, 400g tin 5 bean salad, 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes, 200 ml Marigold Organic Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Stock Cube, 1 bayleaf
- Simmer on the hob on a low/medium heat for 30-35 minutes to let the flavours infuse together.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!