High Protein Vegetarian Chili Mac
Chili mac, or chili served over pasta, was one of my favorite dinners growing up. Typically it was the second night we ate the chili. I think it is pretty typical that when making chili one expects to get more than one meal out of a large pot. My mom would serve the second go around of chili over spaghetti. I understand that ‘Mac’ would say macaroni noodles or perhaps chili over mac and cheese to many people. However, I am making my favorite version of chili mac and that version is chili served over spaghetti with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. We all have our childhood favorites. This chili can be eaten on its own or over a baked potato or with corn bread. However you like your chili. You cna even up the protein count by using a high protein pasta. Without the cheese on top, it is vegan. It uses TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein). For these this purpose, it is my favorite meat substitute. It is shelf stable, relatively inexpensive and high in protein and fiber while being low in fat. Two kinds of beans round out our protein count. This recipe makes 8-10 servings and is even better the 2nd or 3rd time you eat it. Freeze half for a lazy weeknight dinner another day.
Ingredients:
1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein) soaked in water
2- 14 oz cans black beans
2- 14 oz cans pinto beans
28 oz can tomato puree
16 oz jar salsa
4 oz can green chilies
2 bell peppers (recommend yellow or red) small dice
1 medium yellow onion small dice
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder (spicy chili powder not the chili powder that is a spice mix) can omit if you don’t like any spice.
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp sweet paprika
2 tbsp oil
water
spaghetti cooked to package instructions
Recipe:
In a large stock pot, heat oil and add the diced onion with the salt. Stir to coat and saute for 3-5 minutes until onions are soft. Add in the diced bell peppers and continue to saute the vegetables for another 3-5 minutes.
Drain the TVP and add it into the pot. Add the rest of the spices and stir to coat everything in the spices. Allow the TVP and vegetables to fry in the pot for a few minutes. You want to see the TVP dry out and crisp up slightly but not to the point where it sticks to the pan or burns.
Pour in the tomato puree and fill the can with water and add that into the pot as well. Add in the salsa and the green chilies and fill the salsa jar with water and add that into the pot as well. Drain and rinse the beans and add them into the pot and stir to mix everything together.
Simmer on low for about an hour. Make sure to stir the chili every 15 minutes or so to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot. The chili will thicken and the liquid will reduce by about 1/4.
The chili keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for a week or in the freezer in an airtight container for 3-6 months. You can serve the chili on its own, with corn bread, with sour cream or cheese on top. You can serve it over a baked potato or mac and cheese or as I suggest over spaghetti. If you want to cook it down more or leave out some of the water and make a thicker chili, it would also be delicious wrapped up in a tortilla with some cheese as a chili cheese burrito. Add in your chili favorites as well. Frozen corn would also be delicious or add in fresh chilies for more heat.
