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A few years ago, I found the One.
Oh, O is great, too, but when I say *the One*, I’m talking about the One, people. The one ultimate chili recipe, meaning I could put to rest my search for the greatest out there. I posted it a couple years ago, before I learned how to use a camera…. just saying.
So what’s so special about this chili, eh? Well, the original version technically starts with chunks of meat–nothing ground–sautéed, smothered with loads of onions, rich tomato paste, and an aromatic, full-bodied stout. Top ‘er off with chile pequin and masa harina, and you’ve succeeded in creating a chili that is everything good and nothing gratuitous–no green bell peppers, no corn, no beans, nada. I never thought that sounded too excellent, because growing up I’d only ever eaten a very different type of chili, but it was love at first bite. My chili coming-out party!
But these days, we eat way less meat and so I knew I had to develop an equally perfect vegan version. Enter.. ground seitan! Having never truly been a fan of the frozen “soy crumbles” forced onto you at the grocery store, I developed a ground seitan recipe a few months ago that’s the perfect stand-in for veganizing otherwise carnivorous recipes. Why?
It’s tender and flavorful and literally never toughens. It’s made in your own kitchen, so you know exactly what’s going into it, yet is so painfully affordable you’ll take to laughing maniacally at the fools–the fools!–who pay for the exorbitantly overpriced prepackaged stuff at Whole Foods. And it is my absolute favorite meat substitute to date.
The result is a chili that’s rich and spicy, a chili that focuses on just the necessities, a chili that would fool any omnivore. A chili that could win championships, like its meat-laden counterpart! A chili that will provoke a dramatic ripping-to-shreds of all your previous chili recipes. Go ahead, press delete. You won’t be needing that *other* vegetarian chili recipe anymore.
After all, you’ve found the One.
Ultimate Vegan Chili
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons neutral oil , such as canola or a light olive oil, divided
- 20 ounces ground seitan
- 16 ounces baby bella mushrooms , halved
- 2 ½ medium onions , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 16 oz . cans tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- ½ bottle bottle dark beer , stout recommended
- 1 cup not-beef broth or water
- 1 teaspoon ground chile pequín or cayenne pepper
- ½ tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon Tabasco
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tbsp whole chipotle peppers
- 2 tablespoons masa harina or corn meal
- 1 chopped white onions , to serve
- 1 jalapeños , fresh or pickled, to serve
- 1 chopped cilantro , to serve
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 6-qt. pot over high heat and sauté ground seitan 'til slightly browned. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon oil and sauté mushrooms 'til browned; remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
- Heat 1 more tablespoon oil, then add onions and garlic; cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Return ground seitan to pot; stir in tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pot with a wooden spoon, until tomato paste is caramelized, about 12 minutes. Add oregano, chili powder, chile pequín, paprika, tabasco, and cumin; cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
- Add broth or water, beer, mushrooms, and chipotle peppers; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours. Stir in masa harina; season with salt. Simmer, stirring, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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I love comfort food bowls like this and this one has so many great flavors!
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I made this last night and served it tonight. It was fabulous. Great favors and texture. Everyone loved it. Thank you!
This looks SO amazing, and perfect to try in the new year in the cold, dark winter! I’m vegetarian and always looking for new recipes. I got a crock pot for Christmas–do you think it could work in a slow cooker too? 🙂
I’d definitely do the sautéeing and all that goodness but then you could definitely simmer it in a slow cooker! You could probably do the whole thing in a Crockpot but you’d miss out on a little bit of the depth!
Sounds good, thank you! I can’t wait to try it out 🙂
As soon as the air turns crisp we’re making chili…this recipe looks divine – love the layers of flavor!
You’re a bit lucky that you’re not experiencing the polar vortex just yet! 😀 I hope you make this and love it – thanks for stopping by Annie!
This chili looks super rich and thick! I love it!
It’s definitely both of those things – thanks Christina!
Hi Cheryl, I just came across your site and I love it 😀 I’ve never made chili with seitan before. I’ll definitely give this one a try. I love how thick and chunky it looks. My kind of chili 🙂
I’m so glad you found me! You’ll LOVE this chili, I just have a feeling. So yummy with the rich seitan and mushrooms! Let me know if you make it 🙂
Oh myyyy word! This Chili. It looks sooo meaty, hearty and good! Yumm! I for one am not a fan of the soy crumbles either (haven’t really found any fake meats I like) and need to try my hand at cooking with seitan – can’t wait to try your method. This looks like the perfect stick-to-your-bones kind of chili I love! Pinned! 🙂
And can I just say your food photography has come alllooongg way! The photos in the first chili look yummy but your photos now look magazine worthy! I want a warm and comforting bowl of this right now! Pinned 🙂
Oooh! Have you never made seitan?! I will not eat *any* fake meats from the store ever again. Seitan is so easy and so freaking tasty. And THANK YOU! That is too sweet. I agree my photography has come a long way. I mean… dear LORD. I have some early pictures that will make you cry. Or laugh. Or cry from laughing so hard. THey are *that bad*
I just can’t believe this chili is vegan Cheryl! You’ve done a great job using the ground seitan. I’ve wanted to try tacos or chili with it for a while now! I love the pictures on black background ! Pinned!
Thanks Mira! This ground seitan would be a great use in tacos!!
It’s so revealing going back and looking at older posts. It’s a testament to how far your photography has come! Great work, Cheryl! I think masa flour makes any great chili recipe even better, and you’ve included it here! YaY!! Thank you for this ‘improved’ version! Lovely flavors and beautiful photography!!
Uh yeah… definitely right?! Those weren’t even the worst pictures at all! I have some that are truly just mortifying. Mortifying I tell you! And two thumbs up for masa – I can’t believe I never used it before this recipe! Thanks Traci!