Chili sin carne - chili without meat. The vegetarian version of chili con carne that I make in a slow cooker.
| Servings | 4 Portions |
| Tags | Chilipepper | Family Dinner | Main Course | Mexican | Slowcooker | Vegetarian | Vegitables |
| Allergens | Gluten, Soybeans, Wheat |
| Cook Time | 510 min |
A simple chili sin carne with a very rich flavor from a few different varieties of dried chili. I choose 3 varieties that are usually relatively easy to find near where I live: ancho, guajillo and chipotle.
Ancho is dried poblano - lots of flavor, but not particularly hot; 1000-1500 scoville.
Guajillo is a common chili in Mexican cuisine. The fresh chili is called mirasol and the heat is 2500-5000 scoville.
Chipotle is one of the most famous chili varieties. It is made from jalapeño which is dried and smoked. The heat is estimated to be 2500-8000 scoville.
I prefer to buy whole dried varieties of these chilies and mix them when cooking. If you live nearby or plan to drive by (southern Sweden, Borgeby/Bjärred, right next to the E6 and E20) I can definitely recommend stopping for a few minutes at Borgeby Kryddgård and buying them here. You can also use dried and finely ground (or flakes) varieties of the same chilis, but then only use about half the weight of the whole varieties. I have tried 0.5-1 tablespoon of each chili in powdered form which I thought was good. Even though it is a lot of chili, it is not very spicy (in my opinion anyway).
A trick I do here is to let the onion, paprika, chili and garlic have some time with the oil first before adding the rest of the ingredients. I think it makes quite a big difference and something I now also do with recipes that contain soffrito of some kind and are cooked in a slow cooker. It's not quite the "set it and forget it" that I appreciate with slow cookers, but at the same time it's not a particularly big effort either. You can also sauté the ingredients in a pan first and then add them to the slow cooker, but then you have more dishes to take care of instead...
I use dried lentils but I buy the beans ready-made in a can. I open the cans of beans and let the liquid drain in a strainer for a few minutes and then rinse the beans in cold water before adding them.
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Ingredients
Directions
- Peel and chop the onion. Core and cut the bell pepper into small pieces. Peel and slice the garlic. Blend the whole chilis.
- Place the oil, chopped onion, sliced bell pepper, sliced garlic, ancho, guajillo and chipotle in the slow cooker. Set it on LOW temperature, 8 hours.
- When the timer has gone down to 6 hours (So when 2 hours have passed), add the tomato puree, mix and let stand for 15-30 minutes.
- When the timer is at 5:30, add the lentils, tomatoes, water, soy sauce, stock cube, cumin, cocoa powder, sugar, thyme and rosemary. Mix well.
- Keep an eye on the slow cooker and stir occasionally. Add more water if needed.
- When the timer reaches 0:30, add the rinsed black beans and kidney beans (they just need to be heated).
- When the slow cooker has done its job, season with salt. Serve with rice and other side dishes.
Nutrition Facts*
| Total | Serving | 100 g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 2374.4 kcal | 593.6 kcal | 106 kcal |
| Carbohydrates | 244.16 g | 61.04 g | 10.90 g |
| Fat | 112.22 g | 28.06 g | 5.01 g |
| Protein | 85.57 g | 21.39 g | 3.82 g |
| Sugar | 71.9 g | 17.98 g | 3.21 g |
| Salt | 20.61 g | 5.15 g | 0.92 g |
* The nutritional information provided is approximated and calculated using the ingredients available in the database. Info will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.









