As the kiddos go back to school, I can’t help but think of vegan chili. It tastes great on it’s own, or loaded up with vegan sour cream, scallions, avocado, or with a bit of shredded vegan cheese. For the contrast in textures, I like a few crushed tortilla chips in mine.

For this recipe, I chose to grill the tomatillos and jalapeño out on my gas grill; however, they can easily be roasted in the oven. Grilling or roasting them deepens their flavors, and takes an average bowl of vegan chili up a notch. I’ve included directions for how to do either method.

I also used canned jackfruit packed in water, and hand shredded it–leaving a few chunks. I added it at the very end and simmered it long enough to cook it through, but short enough to help preserve it’s texture.

Also, you may wonder, why add garlic cloves and garlic powder? The answer is flavor. Fresh sautéed garlic offers a slightly sweet flavor, while garlic powder is assertive. The garlic powder rounds out the flavor. For a variation, serve over tortilla chips and make vegan white bean jackfruit chili nachos!

White Bean Jackfruit Chili

8-10 large tomatillos, husks removed

½-1 jalapeño

2 Tbsp + more for drizzling, olive oil

3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground coriander

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ cup fresh cilantro

2 ½ cups broth (fake chicken or vegetable)

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

½-1 tsp garlic powder

2 14 ounce cans of jackfruit packed in water, drained and shredded

15 ounce can of white beans, drained and rinsed

Salt

1. TO GRILL: Line a large grill-proof pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Add tomatillos and jalapeño, and drizzle with olive oil. I used a gas grill on HIGH and grilled 15 minutes–turning them over at the midway point (7 minutes in).

TO ROAST: Set oven to BROIL on HIGH. Line a large pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Add tomatillos and jalapeno, and drizzle with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, BROIL until the tomatillos start to brown on top (~10 minutes). Remove from oven and allow to slightly cool.

2. While the tomatillos are grilling or roasting, add 2 Tbsp olive oil, garlic, onion, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin, oregano, and a pinch of salt to a large, heavy pot or dutch oven. Sauté over medium heat for 7 minutes or until onions are translucent.

3. Add onion mixture, grilled/roasted tomatillos, grilled/roasted jalapeño, cilantro, broth, nutritional yeast, and garlic powder to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour it back into the large, heavy pot or dutch oven.

4. Add shredded jackfruit and white beans. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed (salt?). Serve.

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