Let me preface this post by saying, as a Texas girl, love me a good meaty chili. Beef does the body good, and I show that off any chance available on my Instagram profile. But, variety is the spice of life and what a wonderful world we live in that has so many food options. My No Beans, No Bull Vegan Chili Mix makes a tasty substitution for those days when I’m mixing up my diet or have guests over who don’t do meat. 
Read on to get all the details about this vegan chili mix that’s ideal for meal prep, pantry stocking, camping trips with no access to cold food storage, or even giving as a healthy edible gift.
Never in a million years did I think a chili with no meat would pass muster with my carnivorous husband. Where we come from, ground beef is at the heart of this traditional Lone Star state meal. But the hubs not only ate it without fussin’ but said, and I quote, “Hey, honey, this is real good, you could enter it in a cookoff”! Ding, ding, ding . . .winner! 
Wondering why my vegan chili mix is also devoid of beans. That’s because where I come from it’s heresy to put beans in chili. There are NO BEANS IN CHILI (or so I’ve been told), regardless of how creative you get with the other ingredients – like lentils, rice, and quinoa! It’s so cool how this plant-powered trifecta creates the hearty texture of ground beef. 
Aside from being tasty and filling, I love how this mix can be meal prepped into jars (or zip-top bags) ahead of time and kept in the pantry until the craving calls. Preparation is perfect for busy nights, simply dump a couple cups of the mix along with water, vegetable broth and a small can of tomato paste. Simmer for 25 minutes – and that’s it!
This holiday season, I’ve also packaged up a dozen extra jars to give as gifts to my friends, neighbors, and workout buddies at the gym. The jar soup mix is so pretty with all the colorful ingredients layered up like striations in the Grand Canyon. If used healthy products from some of my favorite brands including green lentils from Farmer Direct Co-op, Instantly Fresh Herbs from Litehouse Foods, and dehydrated vegetables from Karen’s Naturals. I’ve dropped some of the shopping links, but some are available in local markets – let me know if you need help locating!
And, since I’m an equal-opportunity chili eater, next week we’ll be making a pot of my Best Ever, Super Secret Beef Chili. Warning, it does have beans – haha!
How do you feel about beans in chili? Do you like your chili mild, medium or firehouse hot? Would you eat chili for breakfast (I have). Please share in the comments – XOXO, Jennifer
- 3/4 cup dry green lentils
- 2/3 cup dry quinoa
- 3/4 cup dry long grain brown rice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 cups Karen's "Just Veggies" dried vegetables see recipe notes for swap
- 1/2 cup Instantly Fresh Guacamole Blend herbs see recipe notes for swap
- 32 ounces vegetable stock
- 32 ounces water
- 6 ounces tomato past not tomato sauce
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Layer ingredients in ONE 32-ounce jar, evenly among TWO glass 16-ounce jars, or even in a heavy-duty plastic zip-top bag. Layer ingredients in this order: lentils, quinoa, rice, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, dehydrated vegetables, and Instantly Fresh Guacamole Blend on top. No need to layer, if going the plastic baggie route.
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To prepare chili from mix, place 2 cups dry ingredients from jar in large pot and add 32 ounces of vegetable broth, 32 ounces water and 6 ounces tomato paste. Bring to boil and then lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes, or until grains tender. Add additional liquid in last few minutes of cooking, if needed, to suit preference for thick or thin chili. If giving as a gift, include recipe instructions on note card!
Vegetable Swap: I used Karen’s Just Veggies” but you can often find in the bulk department. If unavailable, ingredient can be omitted from the layered jar and 1 ½ cup of assorted diced fresh vegetables can be added to the pot before cooking.
Herb/Spice Swap: I used Instantly Fresh Guacamole Blend from Litehouse Foods. You can find it in little glass bottles in the room-temp area of produce department, or sometimes on spice aisle. If not available, use this substitution – ¼ cup dehydrated onion flakes, 2 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon dried parsley)
Nutrition Info: Per serving: 222 calories, 1.9g fat, 12g protein, 43g carbohydrate (9g dietary fiber), good source of iron
I would assume one could ADD a can of beans while simmering the grains if you prefer beans (I love kidney beans in chili) correct?
I’m confident that would work and sounds amazing too!