Black bean and mushroom chilli recipe

Simple, adaptable, nutritious and vegan. Executive chef, Neil Haydock shares his smoked black bean and mushroom chilli. 

Ingredients

Serves four

• 2-3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped, or blended)

• 1 large onion (finely cut (fennel, celery and leeks work too)

• 1-2 chillies if you like heat!

• 250g mushrooms (chopped)

• 2-3 garlic cloves, grated

• Splash of red wine (optional)

• Dried mint (optional)

• 1tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tbsp Bosh flavoured nutritional yeast (optional)

• 2 x 300g chopped tinned tomatoes

• 250g black beans

• 400g pasta (we use garganelli)

Method

1. Add a good pouring of olive oil to a high sided pan and heat until hot.

2. Once the oil is hot, add carrots and onion and cook/sweat down on medium heat for ten minutes.

3. Add grated garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook on medium heat until mushrooms are soft.

4. Add bay leaves, oregano, smoked paprika and nutritional yeast, red wine and mint (optional), and stir together.

5. Add chopped tomatoes and black beans and mix well.

6. Lower the heat and continue to cook (no less than 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.

7. In a separate pan, boil salted water, add pasta and cook until soft (8 minutes approx)

8. Once pasta is cooked, strain pasta and mix through with the chilli.

9. Remove bay leaves, check consistency and seasoning, and add a cup of additional pasta water if required.

10. Finish with olive oil and parmesan.

Tip

If tomatoes and sauce look watery, add a teaspoon of tomato puree. If you have an old loaf of bread, tear it up and add to the sauce to thicken it. If you have peppers, kale or leftover vegetables add them, this recipe is totally adaptable. 

Leave the chilli overnight for a more robust flavour. 

It can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. 

Any leftover? Turn it into a pasta bake.