This veggie chili is packed with beans and vegetables and topped with the creamiest dairy-free cashew cream. It comes together in about 30 minutes and can also be prepared ahead of time and left in a crockpot for a few hours. It will become a staple for easy dinners, especially during the winter!
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- Handful of mushrooms (about 12-15)
- 1 tbsp olive oil for frying (see notes for oil-free)
- 1 can kidney beans
- 1 can corn
- 1 can lentils
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Italian spice blend
Cashew Cream
- 3/4 cup roasted unsalted cashews
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- Large pot
Instructions
- Dice an onion and fry it in a large pot with olive oil on medium heat. Sauté for about 7-8 minutes, until translucent, stirring every couple minutes.
- Chop mushrooms and add them to the onions.
- Blend lentils in a food processor or blender (this will give a more “meaty” texture) – or you can leave them whole.
- Once the mushrooms have cooked down, add kidney beans, corn, lentils, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and spices to the pot. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Prepare cashew cream by letting cashews soak in hot water for a few minutes, then adding the cashews, water and rest of the cream ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth, adding 1-2 tbsp more water if needed.
- Serve chili with cashew cream on top. You can also add in sliced avocado and parsley for a touch of green!
Notes
*For an oil-free version, fry onions in a few tbsp of vegetable stock or water.
*Depending on the strength of your blender, you may need to soak cashews in boiling water for longer. I find the best blender for cashews is a bullet blender!
*You can also prepare this veggie chili ahead of time and leave in a crockpot for a few hours. In this case, fry your onion and mushrooms in a pan, then transfer to a crockpot and add the remaining chili ingredients. Top with cashew cream when serving!