This is one of my go-to recipes… so incredibly flexible and delicious. I’ve made it with every kind of bean and it’s always good. I do like it best with kidney beans. I added cashews and raisins to make it more like a cherished food memory, the chili at the original Einstein Brothers Bagels in Chicago, just off Michigan Avenue.
I am proud to contribute to Meatless Monday, a nonprofit initiative started in 2003 and supported by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. It echoed the popular effort during World War I to help the country use less meat and other staples which supported the war effort.
If you don’t have TVP (texturized vegetable protein) in your pantry, no worries. The beans provide plenty of protein as is. Serve over brown rice for a filling and delicious meal. Make sure the TVP is made from soy alone, if you’re gluten-free. (And organic and non-GMO, for your health. Bob’s Red Mill TVP or TSP is both.)
The renovation: I have swapped out the ground turkey for TVP, and agave syrup instead of brown sugar, and added cashews and raisins.
Suitable for:
vegan, gluten-free, reduced-sugar diets
Not for:
low-sodium or migraine diets

Meatless Monday | Firehouse chili recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 cloves garlic large
- 1/2 onions large, any color
- 1 cup texturized vegetable protein
- 2 tbsp chili powder (10 g)
- 1/2 tsp chipotle powder (1-2 g)
- 28 ounces tomatoes crushed, canned without salt (800 g)
- 15 ounces kidney beans canned or cooked, can also use black, pinto, or cannelini beans (cooked)
- 1 bell peppers red
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 tsp agave syrup or maple syrup
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 3 onions (green) chopped, scallions, spring onions
Instructions
- Heat one cup of water (microwave is fine). Add the TVP and let sit while you are doing everything else.
- Prep the vegetables: Mince the garlic, slice the green onion, dice the red pepper, onion, and carrot.
- In a large skillet with a lid, heat oil and saute onion and carrot for five minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Stir in chili powder and chipotle if using and cook one more minute.
- Add rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for 30+ minutes.
Notes
- 273 calories
- 7 g fat
- 0 g cholesterol
- 364 mg sodium
- 786 mg potassium
- 41 g carbohydrate
- 10 g fiber
- 18 g sugars
- 16 g protein
- 7 Weight Watchers Points Plus
I felt like something was off with this recipe when it said dried beans but i ignored it and went along with it. I really should have known better. This recipe has taken me almost and hour and the beans are still hard! The recipe doesn’t even call for water, but it mentions boiling? I have added about two cups of water to the pot and still nothing. I’m actually transferring to an instant pot in hopes that will salvage this.
Looks good Stephanie! I’ve never tried TVP, but this looks like a good way to do it :)
It’s a great protein substitute for meatless folks, and you don’t actually taste it or know it’s there in this chili.
[…] night: Read through the four recipes and buy any ingredients you need. Make a pot of hearty Firehouse chili […]
[…] texturized vegetable protein (TVP) instead of the ground beef. You’ll also find TVP in my chili recipe, veggie keema, and these grilled Vietnamese appetizers, so buy a bag, don’t worry that you […]