Best Black Bean Chilli Recipes

PULLED CHICKEN & BLACK BEAN CHILLI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a shallow saucepan or casserole dish with a lid. Tip in the onions and cook over a medium-low heat for 5 mins until softened. Add the chicken and turn up the heat to medium. Stir in the garlic, a small pinch of sugar, the oregano, cumin seeds and some seasoning. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the chipotle and cook for a few minutes more. Pour in the passata, 100ml water and add the stock. Season and bring to a simmer.
• Cover with a lid and cook for 40-50 mins, stirring occasionally until the chicken is tender. Shred the chicken into the sauce using two forks, then stir through the beans. Simmer for 5 mins more, then turn off the heat. Squeeze in the lime juice. Can be kept chilled for three days and frozen for up to two months. Defrost thoroughly and reheat. Serve with rice or tortilla wraps, and some coriander, feta, lime wedges and red onion on the side, if you like.

BLACK BEAN CHILLI

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic and onions for 5 mins until almost softened. Add the pimenton and cumin, cook for a few mins, then add the vinegar, sugar, tomatoes and some seasoning. Cook for 10 mins.
• Pour in the beans and cook for another 10 mins. Serve with rice and the accompaniments of your choice in small bowls.

SWEET POTATO & BLACK BEAN CHILLI WITH ZESTY QUINOA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Toss the potatoes with half the oil and some seasoning on a baking tray. Bake for 30 mins, tossing halfway through cooking, until tender. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a pan, add the onion and cook for 5 mins until soft, then add the garlic, chilli and coriander stalks. Cook everything for a further 2-3 mins, stirring to prevent the garlic from burning. Sprinkle in the spices, stirring for 1 min more, until aromatic. Stir in the chipotle paste, yeast extract, tomatoes and half a can of water, swirling it around the tin to wash out all the bits of tomato. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, while the sweet potato is cooking, adding a splash more water if it looks too dry.
• Add the sweet potato, black beans and seasoning to the chilli. Bubble for 5 mins, then taste and adjust the seasoning with a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of sugar if it needs it. Meanwhile, stir the lime zest, a squeeze of lime juice, the coriander leaves and the pumpkin seeds into the quinoa. Toss the avocado in the remaining lime juice as soon as you've cut it - this will prevent it turning brown. To serve, divide the quinoa between plates or bowls, top with the chilli and a pile of avocado.

SMOKY SAUSAGE & BLACK BEAN CHILLI

Steps:

• Heat half the oil in a large pan and cook the sausages for 12-15 mins over a medium heat until brown all over and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
• Drizzle the rest of the oil into the pan and cook the onion and peppers for 10 mins, over a low heat stirring often until all the veg has softened.
• Stir in the garlic, all the spices and the chipotle paste, if using, and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, a canful of water, the ketchup and some seasoning. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 mins half-covered with a lid or loosely covered with foil. Stir occasionally, topping up with water if the mixture starts to look too thick.
• Slice the cooked sausages into thick coins and return to the pan, then tip in the beans. Cook for another few minutes until heated through, then spoon into bowls and scatter with coriander leaves, if using, some grated cheese and a dollop of yogurt or soured cream. Serve with tortilla chips for scooping, as a filling for jacket potatoes, or over rice.

MEATBALL BLACK BEAN CHILLI

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat. Fry the meatballs for 5 mins until browned, then transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Fry the onion and peppers with a pinch of salt for 7 mins. Add the coriander stalks, garlic, paprika and cumin and fry for 1 min more. Tip in the sugar, tomatoes and beans, and bring to a simmer. Season, return the meatballs to the pan and cook, covered, for 15 mins. To freeze, leave to cool completely and transfer to large freezerproof bags.
• Serve the chilli with the rice and the coriander leaves scattered over.

CHILLI CHOCOLATE & BLACK BEAN BROWNIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly grease a 20 x 30cm brownie tin and line with baking parchment. Blitz the beans and vanilla, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 eggs with a stick blender until completely smooth.
• Put the butter and sugar in a bowl with the cocoa and remaining eggs, and beat with an electric whisk until creamy. Start off slowly, then increase the speed as you mix (so you don't get covered with cocoa!). Beat in the baking powder, then stir in the bean mixture and fold in the chocolate chunks.
• Scrape the mixture into the tin with a spatula, level it and bake for 25 mins until firm to the touch. Leave to cool, then cut into squares. Will keep for a few days in a tin at room temperature, and 1 week in the fridge.

SMOKY BLACK BEAN CHILLI

Steps:

• Heat half of the oil in a pan, add the onion and fry until it starts to soften, then add the garlic, celery and carrot and cook until soft. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a separate frying pan and fry the mince in batches, scooping each batch out with a slotted spoon and leave any excess oil behind.
• Add the mince to the veg, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min. Stir in the passata and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over a very low heat for 1½-2 hrs, then add the milk and cook for 30 mins. If you're making the base ahead of time, you can leave it to cool at this stage then freeze for up to a month. (Defrost fully before using in the next step.)
• Put the mince base in a pan and add 1 tsp chipotle paste, bring to a simmer and taste it - add the other tsp if you need to. Stir in the black beans and cook for 5 mins, then stir in the coriander.
• Warm the tortilla bowls in a low oven. Serve the bowls filled with chilli and add the avocado, a squeeze of lime, soured cream and cheese.

BLACK BEAN AND CHILLI MUD CRAB

Steps:

• Clean the mud crab (remove the carapace, lungs and guts) and then remove the claws and crack then with the back of a cleaver but don't smash them or you will be picking shell out all night and then cut the body sections into 3 or 4 depending on their size.
• Heat the oil in a wok and add the crab pieces and toss around until they turn red and then add the garlic and ginger and continue to toss for another minutes.
• Then add the chilli, black beans, rice wine, stock and light soy sauce and cover and simmer for about 3 minutes for the crab to cook through.
• Uncover and if lots of liquid remains, turn up the heat for a few minutes.
• Remove the crab pieces to a serving plate and add the spring onions and extra ginger to the liquid and pour this over the crab and finish with a scatter of the coriander leaves and serve with the lime.