A rich, spicy and tomatoey three bean chilli packed with flavouor and nutrition. This is such a warming and delicious chilli variant that’s perfect all year round. As well as being an easy recipe, it is also very healthy and comes out to be quite cheap too! This is a solid option for meal prepping and freezes well.

Chilli and All It’s Variations

I absolutely love chilli, and I have already posted a different chilli recipe! That one was a beef recipe, as you would normally expect to find. As I wrote in the revious recipe, the history of chilli is really quite interesting. It originated around the Mexico/Texas border and was initially made with preserved beef and chillis. As it became more popular in the US, adding beans became common. The most common bean of choice was kiney beans. These added more bulk, as well as a different texture and an earthy, creamy and hearty flavour. They also contribute large amounts of protein and nutrition!

Chilli has moved on from just being a beef dish. In Mexico, chile verde is very popular with pork and turkey chilli is very popular in the US. It is also, most importantly, not exclusively a meat dish at all! Vegetarians all around the world have been enjoying chilli for almost as long as it has been around. There are quite a few ways of making veggie chilli, but my favourite is just to forgo the meat and pile in the beans.

This Three Bean Chilli Recipe

Making beans the primary focus of the dish does not mean they all have to be the same. This would be boring and would ingore the range of options out there! As the recipe name might indicate, I use three different types. There are many popular beans in Mexican cuisine, most commonly red kidney beans, back beans and pinto beans. Pinto beans are not always easy to come by where I am, so I use borlotti beans as a good alternative. Each one of these brings it’s own flavour, texture and colour to the dish. Of course, you could use whichever beans you want and have on hand!

For spices, the choices here do not differ much from typical chilli options. You want to use plenty of cumin, paprika, oregano and ground coriander as your flavour base. Of course, we need some chilli as well! For this, I tend to use a combination of cayenne pepper and dried ancho chillis for this. Cayenne provides a good bit of heat and a lovely earthiness that matches up well with the cumin and paprika. The dried ancho chillis give a good smoky flavour with some sweetness and frutiness. If you can get a hold of these, definitely use them!

For additional vegetables, I like to load this up with bell peppers. They fit so well with Mexican cuisine and they are superfoods due to their high vitamin and antioxidant content! These will also provide a bit of colour and bulk to the chilli too. I also use some fresh chilli for additional heat, and of course garlic and onion for a solid flavour base. Finish this all up with chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and veg stock for a healthy, tasty meal!

Serving up this Chilli

In terms of serving this up, I would highly recommend serving it alongside my Mexican tomato rice! The flavour profiles of these dishes pair so well and will create a really special meal. You can add some guacamole and garlic bread to your table to make it a feast, and top your chilli with sour cream, cheese and pickled red onions!

Veggie Three Bean Chilli, Easy & Delicious!

Three types of beans, loads of vegetables and a rich, spicy tomato sauce. This is a fantastic three bean chilli recipe and a great option for meal prepping!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican, Tex-Mex

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Fresh and Tinned Ingredients

• 800 g Red Kidney Beans Drained
• 800 g Black Beans Drained
• 800 g Borlotti Beans Drained
• 2 Red Onions
• 3 Bell Peppers Any colour
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 2 Red Chillis Serrano or similar
• 2 tins Chopped Tomatoes
• 3 tbsp Tomato Puree
• 500 ml Vegetable Stock

Spices

• 3 tbsp Gound Cumin
• 2 tbsp Ground Coriander
• 2 tbsp Paprika
• 1.5 tbsp Oregano
• 1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper
• 2 tsp Dried Ancho Chillis

Method

 

1. Put a heavy bottomed, high walled pot on medium high heat and add olive oil.
2. Dice your onions and add to the pot. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until softened and begining to brown off.
   
3. Grate or mince the garlic and add into the pot. Cook for 30 second or so, until fragrant.
   
4. Thinly slice the chilli peppers and add them to the pot. Cook for 2 minutes, until starting to soften.
   
5. Add in the dried spices and cook for 30 seconds or so to toast them off.
   
6. Make a hole in the middle of the pot and add the tomato puree. Cook for 2 minutes, mixing the puree around, then mix everythig together. This will take the rawness out of the tomato puree and build some sweetness in it!
   
7. Roughly chop the bell peppers and add them in now. Mix together well but don't cook them for too long at this stage. They will cook through in the chilli but we don't want them to lose all substance and soften too much.
   
8. Add in the chopped tomatoes and mix around. Cook them until they start t simmer, stirring so they don't burn.
   
9. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring up to a simmer. Cook for 45 minutes or so, stirring every 5-10 minutes, to reduce and bring all the flavours together!