It’s National chili day this week! Of course I could have posted a regular chili recipe but that wouldn’t have been big enough for this vegan. This is a great recipe for a bean-less style chili famously used to top hot dogs from NYC to Cincinnati to LA. It’s an easy recipe, but has a lot of spices that you most likely should have in your possession. If not, buy ‘em – it’s worth it! It’s not too spicy, but you can raise or lower the heat level easily to suit your taste.
In the Midwest, they use this type of chili to top thin spaghetti. I’ve never tried it, but it sounds good! This recipe also contains a small amount of unsweetened chocolate. Sounds weird, but it adds a depth of flavor to the final chili. If you don’t have it, you can add some cocoa powder and oil (quantities in the recipe notes).
This chili is great on a hotdog but also awesome on mac and cheese, or with crushed corn chips on top! Use whatever hot dog you like, but this would be great with a vegan brat or sausage as well.
I used 2 Beyond Meat burgers in this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite meat crumbles or a brick of meat as well. It can be doubled easily, but this recipe would top 6-8 dogs easily.
Feel free to top these however you’d like! That’s the great thing about America. We can top our hotdogs with anything and we have the right to do so. BBQ sauce? Go ahead! Hot sauce? The more the merrier! I won’t judge.
Vegan Hot Dog Cart Style Chili
8
servings15
minutes1
hour30
minutesLike the kind from those dirty sidewalk street vendors but these won’t give you Hep A!
Ingredients
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2.5 cups veggie stock
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded & finely diced
3 oz (half can) of tomato paste (or 3 tablespoons)
1/2 oz (2 small squares) baking chocolate (unsweetened – I used Baker’s brand)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Pinch allspice (See notes)
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch red pepper flakes (or more
if you like it hotter)Pinch black pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
8 oz vegan ground beef (2 burgers or half brick)
Directions
- Sauté the chopped onion and jalapeño in the oil until translucent but be careful not to burn them. I used a cast iron enamel pot like Le Creuset which will allow you to cook low and slow.
- Add the tomato paste and chocolate and stir until melted. Next add all the spices and cook for a few minutes stirring constantly. Add the meat and use a potato masher to make sure they’re crumbled properly. Cook for 1-2 minutes more.
- Add the broth and vinegar and bring to a boil then lower heat to a bare simmer and cook uncovered for 90 minutes or until thickened.
- Serve immediately on your favorite hot dog or however you’d like!
Notes
- A pinch is less than 1/4 teaspoon.
- if you don’t have unsweetened bar chocolate, you can use a tablespoon of dark cocoa powder mixed with 1 teaspoon of plain vegetable oil.
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