A Hearty Veggie Chilli

Packed with lots of veggies from the garden and full of flavour, this is great comfort food for a wet and windy autumn evening. You can chop and change ingredients quite happily, so throw in whatever you have available – aubergine, celeriac, leek etc – you can bung anything in it really, and if you want to add some extra greens, just stir through some chopped spinach or kale at the very end. Serve with rice or a jacket potato. Or some nachos!

Ingredients: (serves 4-6)

  • 1 small squash, peeled and chopped into bite-size chunks
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 red/yellow peppers, chopped into 2cm chunks
  • 1 small carrot, diced
  • Chopped chilli or chilli flakes (you decide how hot you want it!)
  • 2 handfuls cooked borlotti beans
  • 1 tin chopped tomato
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1.5tsp ground cumin
  • 1tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup veg stock
  • handful fresh coriander or parsley, chopped
  • olive oil
  • wedge of lemon or lime

Method:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c. pop the chopped squash in a roasting dish, toss in olive oil and season with sea salt. Roast for approx 20 mins.
  2. Meanwhile, warm a heavy based casserole pan on the hob and add a splash of olive oil.
  3. Add the onions, peppers, carrots and garlic and stir. Cook for 4-5 mins on a medium heat, being careful not to let them burn on the bottom of the pan.
  4. Add the chilli (as much as you like! – we’d suggest one small, medium-heat chilli is ideal) and spices – cinnamon, paprika and cumin – and stir well. Cook for a further minute.
  5. Add the cooked borlotti beans (or use a tin of any beans you like), the veg stock and the chopped tomatoes. Stir in well.
  6. Cover and turn to a low heat. Cook for a further 20-30 mins. You may need to top up with a little extra veg stock if it gets too  thick.
  7. Once the squash is nicely caramelised, remove it from the oven. Add this to the chilli at the last minute, along with the coriander or parsley, and season with sea salt and a squeeze of lemon/lime.