The Vegetarian Chili Ingredient You Should Be Using For A High-Fiber, High-Protein Meal

If you know much about a meat-free chili, then you know they usually are chock-full of beans. In fact, they often feature several kinds at once, such as in this basic three-bean vegetarian chili. However, if you've been getting bored with bean-based chili, lentils could be the solution. Not only do they help improve a chili's texture, but they also significantly boost the dish's fiber and protein content.

Cooked lentils are an excellent source of both nutrients, with one half-cup serving generally providing around 12 grams of protein and a whopping 8 grams of fiber, or around 32% of the recommended daily requirement. These are numbers that compare closely to, and may even exceed, the kinds of beans you'd usually put in chili, such as kidney or pinto beans.

Brown, green and black lentils are going to be the best choices for a lentil chili as they'll retain their shape, unlike red lentils, which tend to break down more easily. Red lentils would be a nice addition to complement the sturdier kind and offer some textural variance, but on their own they would be too mushy for this dish.

Cooking a chili with lentils isn't complicated, but it may shift the usual rhythm you rely on in the kitchen. This is because the legumes are added early as part of the base, rather than being stirred in towards the end like you might with a can of beans. One benefit of doing this is that it thickens the dish without hours of simmering while improving the overall texture thanks to the starches and proteins released during cooking.

Liquid also matters when cooking the perfect lentil chili. You'll need to add stock or water at the get-go, since dried legumes are highly absorbent, soaking up flavor as they cook. However, if you opt for canned lentils (which are just as good as dried), you can simply simmer them for as little as five minutes (depending on your preferred texture) since they're precooked and don't need the additional liquid.

For a homemade lentil chili, you can either let lentils take the spotlight or add them to a more layered vegetarian chili with beans and potatoes to give it a thicker, almost stew-like texture. Both approaches work. From a nutritional standpoint, lentils are incredible, plus they're very inexpensive, making them one of the ultimate budget-friendly pantry staples when it comes to plant-based cooking.