Indian Spiced Chili
In Texas, chili is serious, thankfully, I am not a born and bred Texan so I can change it up. I love Indian flavors and they really lend themselves to a chili format. I used beef in this and used chickpeas as the beans for this. Adding in a bunch of vegetables and you have a chili that is unexpected and oh so delicious. It’s almost like a curry but a little extra.
This is super adaptable to whatever your eating style - vegans just leave out the beef and possibly increase the beans. Low carbers leave out the beans and mango chutney. Whole30 peeps just leave out the beans and use chunks of mango in place of the chutney. Not a fan of red meat, swap it for ground turkey! Any way you make it, it will be delicious, especially with a side of Naan, dollop of yogurt, and some herbs to top it all off. My whole family loved this and it is definitely on the recipe rotation. It also freezes super well so you can make a big batch and freeze portions for lunches or an easy dinner to warm you on a cold night.
Chili around the holidays is a fun tradition that started the first year we moved to Colorado and we had an epic blizzard that was so bad, none of the grocery stores could re-stock (but don’t worry, all the liquor stores got their shipments). We couldn’t find a turkey or chicken or steak, anything “special” so I made a chili and it was perfect. So maybe make this your Christmas Chili and start a new tradition!
Indian Spiced Chili
1 large onion, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, grated
1 Tablespoon oil
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup Indian Spice Mix
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 Tablespoons mango chutney
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 head cauliflower florets, about 4 cups
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup broth
1 cup frozen peas
Garnish - yogurt, cilantro, green onions, naan
- Heat a large pot to medium-high heat, once hot, add the onions, peppers, garlic, ginger, oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook until browned and softened.
- Add in the beef and break up with a spoon while it cooks. Once all browned and cooked through, sprinkle a little more salt and pepper and top with the Indian Spice Mix and stir.
- Dollop the mango chutney and pour in the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir. Drop in the cauliflower florets and chickpeas and stir. Pour in the broth, cover, and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
- Finally, stir in the peas and once they are warmed through, serve.
All those vegetables end up in this goodness. Leave out the meat for a vegan dream, leave out the chickpeas for a low carb or Whole30 option.
Start with the onions, peppers, garlic, and ginger. I like to use that frozen ginger that is already grated.
Once those are cooked, drop in the meat, which is totally optional.
Meat cooked and prepped the rest, opening cans, chopping cauliflower, and rinsing chickpeas
Indian Spice Mix gives all the flavor you need
Make sure those spices are cooked a little so their flavor pops
Mango chutney gives a hit of sweetness, totally optional. Tomato sauce and diced tomatoes make it like a chili.
cauliflower in
For an extra protein hit, add in the chickpeas. If you are making this vegan, you could increase the chickpeas.
Stir, cover, and simmer until that cauliflower is tender.
Lastly, drop in those peas for some color and to up the vegetables even more. You are done!
