Vegan Chili Mac

Ingredients

• Pinto Beans
• Red Kidney Beans
• Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• Baby Bella Mushrooms
• Red Onion
• Bell Peppers or Sweet Peppers
• Chili Peppers (Jalepeños or Serrano Peppers)
• Cilantro
• Vegetable Broth
• Garlic
• Seasoning (cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric, salt pepper, taco seasoning, coriander powder, garlic powder)
• Avocado Oil
• Small or Medium Macaroni Pasta Shells

Steps

1. Cook pasta to al dente (firmer is better as it will soften further when added to the chili)
2. Heat 1 Tbsp avocado oil in a stock pot or dutch oven over medium heat
3. Add minced garlic to the oil and let it infuse for about 1 minute.
4. Sauté 1 cup chopped bell peppers and 2 Tbsp chopped chili peppers (~3-4 mins)
5. Add 1 medium onion (chopped)
6. Once onion softens, season with 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp turmeric, pinch chili powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder. Mix. Allow mix to become fragrant.
7. Push aside pepper/onion mix. Add 1 1/2 c sliced or chopped mushrooms
8. Cook mushrooms through (~4 mins). Add pinch of salt. Mix.
9. Add 1 can pinto beans and 1 can red kidney beans (both rinsed and drained, ~2 1/2c of each type of bean). Add 2 tsp taco seasoning and mix through.
10. Add 1/2 can fire roasted tomatoes or 1 cup chopped tomato
11. Add 2 c vegetable broth
12. Bring to a boil then cover and turn heat down to lowest setting. Allow to simmer covered for 30 minutes.
13. Once done simmering, add 1/2 bunch or 1/4 c chopped cilantro and 3 c cooked macaroni. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I also added 1 Tbsp red chili flakes.
14. Spoon into bowls. It is a complete meal on its own but would be great with tortilla chips or Fritos.

TIPS

Any combination of beans can be used but I always include pinto beans or white beans as they provide a creamy texture and can be mashed slightly to thicken the chili

1 tsp garlic powder can be used in place of minced garlic

Do not use vegetable based pasta such as chickpea shells as they get very soggy and will not maintain their texture in this chili. Durum wheat or whole wheat pasta is best. If making a large portion of the chili, you can add the cooked pasta after reheating the chili to keep some of the al dente form although if you cook it just right, it should not become too soggy sitting in the chili and will in fact soak up all the wonderful flavors.

An alternative to cooking the pasta separately is to add it to the chili once it is brought to a boil and the pasta will cook during the simmering process (this would work best with small macaroni shells or even brown rice if you want to use rice instead of pasta)