I’ll be honest—many times, when I come up with a recipe, I’m all like, “Dang, I’m smart.” But I think the decision to make a cream sauce out of white beans is one of my best ideas yet! Inspired by a usually heavy, high-calorie meal, I have turned this ultimate comfort food into something pretty healthy. Normal white chili features heavy cream and cheese. My version has veggie broth and beans, but I promise it will knock your socks off.
Serves: 4
3 (15-oz [450-g]) cans navy, cannellini or great northern beans, drained, divided
1½ cups (360 ml) vegetable broth, divided
1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Pinch plus 1 tsp salt, divided
Pinch plus ½ tsp black pepper, divided
8 oz (240 g) canned diced green chiles, plus more as needed (optional)
1 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of chili powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Finely chopped fresh chives (optional)
Vegan sour cream (optional)
Pickled jalapeños (optional)
Add 1 can of the beans to a blender. Add ½ cup (120 ml) of the broth and blend on high until the beans are completely smooth. Set the white bean cream aside.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent, reducing the heat if needed to prevent burning.
Add the remaining 2 cans of beans to the pot. Stir and season the mixture with the pinch of salt and pinch of black pepper.
Add the green chiles to the pot, stirring to combine. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the remaining 1 cup (240 ml) of broth, the white bean cream, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, cumin, the remaining ½ teaspoon of black pepper, chili powder and cayenne pepper to the pot. Stir to combine and reduce the heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chili has thickened slightly.
Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve the chili with chives (if using), sour cream (if using), pickled jalapeños (if using) or more green chiles (if using).