Thick Tex-Mex Chili

Jan 2 2011 | by Katherine Lawrence | 28 Comments » |
Tags: Eat To Live, gluten-free, Quick & Easy

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Thick Tex-Mex Chili

Submitted by Katherine Lawrence of www.plantbasedhealth.com

I love thick, hearty chili in cold weather.  It’s always so satisfying and filling, so it makes a great comfort food…especially when served my favorite way:  over warm grits!

1 Onion, diced
5 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 T. Jalapeno, minced with seeds
3 c. Diced Tomatoes
1 ½ c. cooked Kidney Beans
1 ½ c. cooked Pinto Beans
1 ½ c. Frozen Corn
2 t. ground Cumin
1 t. Chili Powder
½-1 t. Salt
½ t. Black Pepper
½ t. Cinnamon
1 pkg Soy Crumbles (optional)
1 c. Water or Vegetable Broth

1. In a 5qt saucepan, sauté onions, garlic and jalapeno over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add bell pepper and continue cooking for 5 more minutes.
2. Add all remaining ingredients, except soy crumbles, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
3. Add soy crumbles and cook for 5 minutes, until warmed through.
4. Serve plain, or on top of brown rice or grits!

Makes 12 cups.

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28 Responses to “Thick Tex-Mex Chili”

1. Carli Says:

   January 16th, 2014 at 4:50 pm

   I’ve made a version of this one at least a dozen times – minus the fake meat stuff and less cinnamon. I also tend to throw in whatever veggies I have left from something else (a few mushrooms, a small zucchini, peppers or onions). We top it with simple guac (avocado, garlic, onion and tomato). This is dinner tonight again. Excellent as a leftover meal too.
2. Katrina Says:

   August 16th, 2013 at 6:21 am

   Please forgive me but I have to ask – I live in England so could you provide me with a few translations please? What on earth are “grits?” – grit here is like fine gravel and you certainly don’t eat it, lol! Also when you say “broth” – that here is a thick soup mix with lentils, dried split peas and pearl barley. Is that what you mean or do you just mean stock (a vegetable stock cube dissolved in hot water)? And while I’m at it, I saw a different recipe with quantities describes as “c” – would that be a cup?
   Thanks so much
3. Bill Says:

   June 29th, 2013 at 9:13 am

   To Gail, I plan to try your recipe today and I will comment on it later. I really like the idea of the Zucchini.
4. Bill Says:

   June 29th, 2013 at 9:11 am

   I have used this recipe about 6 times and I find it delicious. The Grits were good, however, I prefer it over couscous. I wondered if you have any nutritional values for this fabulous Chili.
5. Mayling Says:

   October 15th, 2012 at 7:04 pm

   I loved this recipe but I think It needs less cinnamon
6. Sheena Says:

   February 3rd, 2012 at 10:00 pm

   Great recipe, we added cayenne instead of jalapeno since we had one of my daughters’ friends over and didn’t want to turn up the heat too much. Also used probably twice as much chili powder and cumin. We love spice at our house 🙂 I used TVP crumbles, but will leave out next time since they really didn’t add much flavor. Great recipe overall 🙂 Will make again and double! It was gone very quickly.
7. dave Says:

   January 30th, 2012 at 8:59 am

   Katherine,

   I found that after the chili sat for a while it thickened up. I posted that right after I ate it for the first time. Thanks again.
8. Katherine Says:

   January 28th, 2012 at 4:47 pm

   Dave, I’ve found that it depends on the brand of soy crumbles you use. If you don’t use them at all, I would suggest leaving the water out. You could also simmer it uncovered to reduce some of the liquid. I’m glad you liked it!
9. dave Says:

   January 16th, 2012 at 8:24 pm

   I just made this and it is delicious. It was very hearty, but my sauce was not very thick. Any idea what I did wrong?
10. Diane Says:

    January 11th, 2012 at 12:43 pm

    Deish , left out the water, added red and green pepper, celery and mushrooms and don’t forget the cilantro !!!! sauteed up lil tofu bits added to the pot as well , ( ssh don’t tell the kids )lol
11. Kathleen Says:

    January 2nd, 2012 at 3:39 pm

    Awesome! Something the kids AND adults liked. Only change was to not include the seeds since my kids won’t eat things too spicy. One of my favorites!!
12. Lupita Says:

    November 30th, 2011 at 5:32 pm

    Amazing! I’m not exactly known for my cooking abilities – but this was AMAZING and easy. Loving it! Granted, I made some minor adjustments, simply because I didn’t have cumin, kidney beans, or soy crumble (threw in garbanzo beans and some turmeric – wild, I know) and some misc veggies (mushrooms and banana peppers) before they go bad. Yum yum yum! Will make again!
13. Gail Says:

    October 4th, 2011 at 4:50 pm

    my non veggie friends and lots of guys like this one 🙂 it tastes like “real” chili and they really like the zucchini even my friends who don’t eat many veggies
14. Gail Says:

    October 4th, 2011 at 4:48 pm

    I thought I would share this with you as it gets rave reviews over and over again and can be slow cooker made … I do not do soy as it is a mucas maker messes with your hormones and is highly processed …. change it up this is the base ….

    1 bag of Quorn Grounds “hamburger” (healthy frozen section)
    1 can of diced or chopped tomatoes (fire roasted w garlic is good)
    1 big can of whole tomatoes (cut them up or mash them with your hand)
    1 can tomato sauce
    1 can pinto beans
    1 can kidney beans
    1 large zucchini diced small
    1 or 2 mushrooms diced small
    dash of sea salt
    1 2lb pack of Mc Cormicks original chili seasonings (if they only have the 4lb pack use 2/3 of it)
    serious squirt of the chinese red rooster sauce

    I usually use these 2
    optional large handful of quinoa or cover the top of the pot lightly, if you use this add 1/2 cup of water to the pot
    optional frozen chopped broccoli small bits only (large handful)

    sometimes these
    optional fresh tomato diced up
    optional diced garlic

    most important is to dice the zucchini up to the right size, to small it gets lost in it too big its slimy so I cut it in half then those in half again length wise then chop it down

    put everything in large pot
    cook at medium heat then lower n let simmer till beans n zucchini are soft about an hour or so … or in the crock pot
15. gemma Says:

    July 12th, 2011 at 2:29 am

    i just made this now. it is amazing!!
16. valerie Says:

    April 18th, 2011 at 6:18 pm

    so can you eat this on the first phase of eat to live?
17. Rachel Says:

    April 17th, 2011 at 4:03 pm

    Made this last night, it was delicious. Made a few minor changes; ommited corn and added garbanzos in its place, red pepper instead of green, and served it over noodles. So delicious. Had to pull myself away from the pot.
18. Jola Says:

    April 6th, 2011 at 5:19 pm

    What is the nutritional value of the meal? Calories, fat, protein etc..
19. SusanV (admin) Says:

    March 30th, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    Janel, I can’t take credit for this one. Thank you Katherine Lawrence for submitting it!
20. Janel Says:

    March 30th, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    This one’s dinner tonight! Thanks for all of the inspiration, Susan 🙂
21. August Says:

    February 28th, 2011 at 8:48 am

    Had some friends over for the Oscars and we decided on a mexican meal. Made this chili and they LOVED it. Couple of minor changes I made:

    -cut the cumin to 1tsp instead of 2. Cumin has a strong flavor and I don’t like too much of it.

    -replaced the pinto beans with garbanzo beans and it tasted fantastic.

    This will definitely be a repeat!
22. Mindy Says:

    February 8th, 2011 at 11:59 am

    This is great! I used canellini beans instead of kidney and red pepper instead of green. I also used 99% fat free ground turkey because I do eat meat, just love the recipes on this site.
23. Dianne Says:

    February 8th, 2011 at 2:27 am

    I tried it. It was deliecious. I added sliced mushrooms and 1/8 t of sugar. I also changed the bell pepper to red. The results were unbelievable. Thank you for the recipe!
24. Barbara Says:

    January 26th, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    This sounds so great. I can’t wait to try it tonight. I was just wondering what the nutritional facts were. Like, how many calories. Thanks so much. 😀
25. Angie QC Says:

    January 14th, 2011 at 10:17 pm

    Wow, this sounds yummy! It’s perfect for what I can eat while currently on the Daniel Fast! I can’t wait to try it!
26. Chili Dude Says:

    January 11th, 2011 at 7:56 pm

    Wow two of my favorite foods, chili and grits. I am going to make this chili recipe Friday night for the kids. Thanks
27. Katherine Lawrence Says:

    January 6th, 2011 at 9:54 pm

    Yes, I prefer it over yellow grits! After the grits are cooked, I pour them into a casserole dish and let them set until they’re firm. Then you can slice it and put it in the bottom of a bowl with chili on top – it SOOOOOO delicious!
28. mickshan Says:

    January 6th, 2011 at 9:17 pm

    Wow. I never thought of putting chili over grits. I’ve lived in Texas most of my life and haven’t tried that, but I’ll be trying it this weekend! I especially like yellow corn grits (polenta). Thanks for the tip!