Chili

An iteratively refined chili recipe. As much as this is 'refined', tastes do change and some variations of this come and go in popularity. Vegan and Meat versions here.

From Chef dougb
Added Mar 24, 2026
Updated Mar 24, 2026

Ingredients

  • Main
  • 1 pkg
    Yves Veggie Round Ground (Italian) OR
  • 500 g
    Ground beef, cooked (the more the better, I find)
  • 1
    Onion, large, diced
  • 1 cup
    Mushrooms, finely chopped (or more!)
  • 1 Tbsp
    Minced garlic (or use fresh - use to taste)
  • 2
    Large cans of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 can
    Black beans, with liquid
  • ¼ cup
    Red lentils
  • 2 Tbsp
    Tomato paste
  • 2 Tbsp
    EVOO
  • Spice Mix
  • 2 tsp
    Cumin
  • 2 tsp
    Oregano
  • 1 tsp
    Paprika
  • ½ tsp
    Cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp
    Chili powder
  • 1 tsp
    Salt
  • 1 tsp
    Pepper
Prep
10 min
Cook
45 min+
Servings
8+
Effort
Low-Mid
Tags
—

Directions

  1. In a large pot, add EVOO and warm on med-low heat.
  2. Add onions and garlic. Cook until caramelized (3-5 min).
  3. Add mushrooms and continue cooking another 5 minutes or so.
  4. Add tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, and a splash of water (rinse out the cans and add to the pot).
  5. Add red lentils, spice mix.
  6. Add Yves round ground, or (already cooked) ground beef.
  7. Bring to a bubbly-boil, then reduce heat to lowest. Simmer for at least 45 minutes (to cook the red lentils). Longer is better - meld the flavours.

Chef's Thoughts

Play around with the spice mix as desired. I find the 1/2 tsp of Cayenne pepper adds plenty of heat - that's been knocked down from a full tsp in the early iterations.

On my last cook, I noticed the veggie round ground advises to add near the end of cook time. I adjusted the recipe slightly to add the veggie round ground AFTER coming to a bubbly boil and reducing to simmer. Maybe a bit better texture and taste on it?

Comments

No comments yet.

Login to comment.