Creamy White Bean Chili (Vegan)
Chili is ideal for
meal prep.
10/10 it is the perfect food and here are five reasons why:
It’s EASY. I think we can all agree that set-and-forget meals are the MVP of meal prep.
Chili is high in both PROTEIN and FIBER, the two nutrients I frontload in all of my recipes.
Chili tastes even better with time, no sadness leftovers.
Chili’s relatively cheap to make since you can use canned beans and frozen vegetables.
Chili is micronutrient-loaded from sources like vegetables, beans, protein, and spices.
Count on at least one more chili recipe on the blog this season (A smoky porter chili is on the agenda in November.)
Today’s Chili is Vegan
It’s also creamy, flavor-packed, hearty, and filling—you omnivores won’t miss a thing. I love testing out ways to vegan-ize popular foods and I’m so happy with how this one turned out.
The great thing about this white bean chili is that it can be as mellow or spicy as you fancy. If you prefer some more heat in your chili, you can up the jalapeno peppers from one to two (or three) or even swap them out for Serrano peppers. Additionally, I like to add a healthy shake of cayenne pepper in there for good measure.
How I Made the Chili Creamy
I achieved the creamy texture with my blender (!!!) and a touch of coconut milk. I added a few ladles full of the prepared soup into the blender and topped it off with a small can of coconut milk. Whiz for about a minute and WOWOWOW magic happens! After blending, I just poured the creamy mixture back into the soup and gave it a good stir.
Vegan? Carni? Omni? This soup is the great equalizer. Give it a try, I bet you’ll like it however you swing!
macros
411 cal per serving | 19g protein | 20g fiber | 5g fat | 50g net carb
Creamy Vegan
white bean chili
Yields 5 to 6 servings
Ingredients
4 15-ounce cans white beans (I’ve found that Great Northern beans are the sturdiest, but feel free to use a combination of those, navy, or cannellini beans)
2 4-ounce cans chopped green chili peppers
1 box (32 ounces) vegetable broth
1 5.5-ounce can coconut milk
1 cup frozen corn
1 large onion
1 jalapeno pepper (or more for more spice)
4-6 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp chili powder
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking spray for sauteing
Optional: 1/2 tsp cayenne powder for more spice
Topping possibilities: Non-dairy sour cream, avocado, crushed tortilla chips, crispy fried onions, cilantro, squeeze of fresh lime
Instructions:
Chopping and sautéing: Mince garlic cloves, then dice onion and jalapeno pepper(s) into small pieces. Heat a large stock pot over medium-low and spray with cooking spray. Add onion, jalapeno, and minced garlic to the pot and sauté until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Add all other ingredients into the pot except frozen corn and coconut milk. Stir well to incorporate the spices.
Reduce heat to low. Add a lid to the stock pot and simmer for 35 minutes.
To make it creamy: Add your 5.5-ounce can of coconut milk into a high-speed blender, followed by 1 cup of the soup—strained of most of the broth. Blend for 45 seconds or until very smooth, then add the creamy mixture back into the soup pot.
Last step: Add in your frozen corn and simmer for 5 minutes more.
For meal prep: Distribute the vegan white bean chili into five sealable containers or jars. Allow soup to cool until it’s no longer steaming, then transfer it to the fridge. This soup will keep it’s texture and taste for up to five days.
Reheat over the stovetop if you have one available. If not, microwave in 45-second increments, stirring in between until warm.
Freezing is not recommended for this recipe.
