Mushroom & Chickpea Chilli
Finely minced roasted mushrooms and chickpeas stand in for the "meat" in this incredible vegan chili. The rich deep flavor and hearty texture will have everyone coming back for more. Treat this as a base recipe and customize it to your own family's preferences!
Ingredients
- 2 lb (2 lb) mushrooms, larger mushrooms can be sliced into thick strips, smaller mushrooms can be halved
- 28 oz (28 oz) canned chickpeas, drained and patted dry
- 28 oz (28 oz) canned tomatoes
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- olive oil, for cooking
Spices
- 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp chili powder, increase to your tastes
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Prepare the mushrooms. Arrange the mushrooms on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, using a spatula to mix it all around and ensure that everything is coated with the oil. Then add a nice sprinkling of salt. Place in the oven on the top shelf. These will roast for about 20-25 minutes, until they're well browned, reduced, and the mushroom juices have mostly evaporated.2 lb mushrooms, olive oil
- Prepare the chickpeas. Scatter the chickpeas on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, using a spatula to mix it all around and ensure that everything is coated with the oil. Then add a sprinkling of salt. Place in the oven on the middle shelf. These will roast for about 20 minutes, until they're just browning, so it should be ready about the same time as the mushrooms.28 oz canned chickpeas, olive oil
- Pulse in a food processor. Once the mushrooms and chickpeas are ready, take them out of the oven and allow to cool down for a few minutes. Then you can start to mince them in the food processor. You will probably need to do this in batches. Scoop some of the chickpeas + some of the mushrooms into the food processor bowl and pulse several times to get the mushrooms and chickpeas "minced". You want the mushrooms broken down into tiny pieces but be careful not to go any further than that as you don't want them pureed! Some of the chickpeas will break up, with some remaining whole, but your focus is on the mushrooms.
- Empty into a bowl, and repeat until all of the chickpeas and mushrooms have been ground. It took me three batches to get through this quantity.
- In a frying pan or saute pan, heat a thin layer of olive oil. Saute the onions until they're starting to brown.olive oil, 1 large onion
- Add the mushroom chickpea mixture and the garlic, and saute for a few minutes until the onions and garlic are mixed in. If the mixture feels dry, drizzle some extra oil in.4 cloves garlic
- Move the mixture over to the sides of the pans, to free up a little space in the middle. Add some fresh oil, followed by the fennel and cumin seeds. Allow the seeds to toast for just a few moments until fragrant, before mixing them back into your mushroom chickpea mix.1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds
- Add the remaining spices and salt, and mix through.1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp ground coriander, 2 tsp dried oregano, 2 tsp cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp cumin powder
- Add the tomato paste and mix through until it's incorporated.2 Tbsp tomato paste
- Add the canned tomatoes, and then fill one of the cans half full with water and swirl that in too.28 oz canned tomatoes
- Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer gently for at least 20 minutes.
- Serve with rice, tortilla chips and any additional toppings you enjoy.
Notes
Weight of mushrooms is BEFORE they are de-stemmed.
Weight of chickpeas is BEFORE draining and rinsing.
Nutritional information is based on a total 1/3 cup of olive oil being (you may end up using more, and some of the roasting oil is retained in the baking sheets, so this isn't an exact science!)
Nutritional information excludes rice and additional toppings.
Calories: 328kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Sodium: 1393mg, Potassium: 1242mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 1365IU, Vitamin C: 19mg, Calcium: 131mg, Iron: 6mg