Series: A Capsule Kitchen: Vegan Chili Mac


Vegan Chili Mac is one of our favorites, so we have it a few times a month. It is just my husband and myself in our household, so the amount I make is enough for several nights. 

As is the case with most of recipes I use, this simple and cheap dinner is more of a template, rather than strict instructions to follow to the letter, which makes it pretty foolproof, and allows for additions or omissions depending on your preferences. Based on trial and error, we have settled on this combination of ingredients most of the time, with the occasional addition if we want try something different, or have something that needs to get used.


Simple Vegan Chili Mac


Ingredients

2 cups uncooked macaroni

½ cup dry red beans, or 1 15oz can, rinsed and drained. (I use dry beans because they are cost effective. A ½ cup dried will be about 2 cups cooked.)

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

¾-1  cup frozen corn (more/less, if desired)

¾-1  cup frozen kale (more/less if desired)

3 tablespoons chili powder

Water (add for desired consistency. I  usually add about ½ a cup)

Optional: 

Any veggies you like. I’ve added red peppers, broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower, all of which worked well.

Pepper to taste (I sprinkle some in towards the end of cooking.)

Onion powder or chopped onion

Garlic salt or minced garlic

Nutritional yeast (I add about 2 teaspoons.)


Instructions:  

If you are using dried beans, put them in a bowl and fill with cold water and put in the fridge for a few hours. Rinse, drain, and cook for about 1 ½ - 2 hours. Once cooked, you can drain and cool them, then refrigerate until ready to use, or drain them and use immediately with the recipe.

Boil the macaroni for 10-12 minutes, until cooked. Drain. Return to pot.

Add the tomato sauce, corn, kale, and whatever additional veggies you are using. 

Add chili powder and (if using) nutritional yeast, and any other spices you like. 

Add water. Start with ¼ - ½  cup and add more as it cooks, if needed. 

Stir everything together and bring to just a boil, then let it simmer with the lid on but tilted, for about 20 minutes. Check and stir periodically, adding water if needed. 

After 20 minutes, if there is too much water, cook uncovered for a few additional minutes to boil a bit of the liquid away. The consistency should be thinner than traditional chili, but not watery. You can also add a bit of salt to help cook it down a bit, if necessary.

Serve hot.

We have this with homemade cornbread (which I will do a future post about, as it goes well with many of the recipes I’ll be sharing). Avocado is tasty with this dish, and I think vegan sour cream would also be a delicious addition. I plan on making this using black or pinto beans in the near future, both of which seem like naturals for this dish.

 

That’s it. I hope you enjoy this comforting, cozy dinner as much as we do. It’s perfect to have on a cold winter or fall night, and makes excellent leftovers.    

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