Healthy food meets comfort food, with this delicious & homemade buffalo chickpea chili.
It’s playoff hockey season again, which is one of my favorite times to try out new comfort-food recipes.
This week last year, I first made the Creamy Spinach Tomato Pasta.
And the start of another playoff season seemed like the perfect time to finally try this buffalo chickpea chili.
After all, what could possibly be more perfect for game time than a big bowl of spicy homemade chili?
The completely meatless chili is full of wholesome ingredients, such as carrots, onions, tomatoes, and chickpeas, giving you the perfect excuse to feel less guilty for all the beers and chips that might be consumed alongside!
To show just how easy it is to make, I posted a video below of the process:
Tip: If you have a Trader Joes near you, I like to buy the diced mirepoix vegetables to use in this chili recipe. Not only does it take care of all the chopping, it also doesn’t leave you with a zillion leftover pieces of celery you have no idea how to use.
And any time I don’t have to cut up an onion, my eyes are inordinately grateful for it.
Serving suggestions include sliced avocado, tortilla chips, or Vegan Cornbread.
The BEST part about this healthy chili?
Leftovers freeze well, so you can portion extra servings into containers—I use pyrex as opposed to plastic—and freeze for a day when you’re pressed for time but want a home-cooked meal.
The recipe can easily be cooked in a slow cooker, and you can change it up by using different vegetables or trying it with your favorite source of protein. I used kidney beans, but crumbled tofu or tempeh would also work nicely.
The chili was adapted from my Vegetarian Chili Recipe.
Buffalo Chickpea Chili
Ingredients
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 15 oz chickpeas, cooked or canned
- 15 oz protein of choice
- 1 cup chopped or diced carrot
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- optional 1/2 cup corn
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3-4 tbsp buffalo sauce or hot sauce
- 4 oz cream cheese, or vegan cream cheese or cashew cream (can be omitted)
Instructions
- If you just want regular (non-spicy) chili, simply omit the buffalo sauce. To add a little extra depth of flavor if desired, you can start by sautéing the onion with a little oil or buttery spread for a few minutes. Combine all ingredients in either a medium pot or a slow cooker, and stir well. If cooking on the stove: bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook uncovered for 35 minutes. If carrots are still too crunchy, cover and cook 10 additional minutes or until vegetables reach desired softness. If using a slow cooker, set to low and cook 6-8 hours. (Time may vary, depending on your slow cooker's size and settings.)*Two readers have commented to say this works in the instant pot if you combine all ingredients, set to high pressure manual for 10 minutes, then do a natural release. Thanks to readers Susan and Vicky C for trying the recipe and leaving a comment to let us know how to make it in the instant pot!View Nutrition Facts
Video
Notes
Recipe Of The Day:
Absolutely making this, this week! Love anything buffalo flavored 🙂
xo,
Em
http://www.organicallyemily.com
Seems like an easy and tasty dish to try!
– http://www.majaharder.com
Chili is by far my favorite meal! I’ve never changed up my go-to recipe, but this looks like an awesome contender. Seems like it’s be the perfect base for a chili dip, too!
dang lady. This looks amazing! I love chili – perfect comfort food for both a chilly day (see what I did there??) OR a summer time cook out. Thanks for sharing!
This sounds delish! Chili + buffalo sauce = my favorite things
“it also doesn’t leave you with a zillion leftover pieces of celery you have no idea how to use.”
What would my parrot and turtles get :P.
Seriously though, we used to have a vegetarian stand in the mall food court that had buffalo chickpea fritters. They were obviously not health food but still delicious. This reminds me of them.
Chili is one of my favourite meals and you gotta love a meal you can freeze for later! Nice one Katie
This looks great, and I know some people would absolutely love this (people who love spicy things, and one who specifically loves buffalo flavor). Is there some way to reduce the sodium? With a 5:1 ratio of sodium:calories per serving, the sodium level is very high (it is recommended to be 1:1, but even 2:1 would be preferable).
If you are used to lower-sodium recipes, you can use no-sodium canned (or fresh) diced tomatoes and tomato sauce, although it might be a little bland. Also I think the calorie database probably added in all the sodium in the cans of beans, but in reality you are draining almost all of that off. So the true numbers are probably much lower in sodium than what is listed.
This recipe sounds so good! I see it serves 7 but how big is one serving? Please excusr me if it was listed somewhere and I spaced it out, lol@
Thanks,
Susie
It says 6-7 cups, so per cup 😉
Are there kidney beans in the picture? I don’t see them in the recipe list. I’m sure it’s a great addition though!
It is what she used for this one: 15 oz protein of choice