Meera Sodha’s vegan recipe for oven-baked tofu chilli

From theguardian.com

Zingy with Mexican spice, this protein-fortified chilli goes brilliantly with rice, guacamole and tortilla chips on the side

My husband, Hugh, recently made some changes to his diet, including lowering his carb intake and increasing his protein to keep him full (instead of the carbs). I wanted to cook him something that was easy to throw together, something he could eat without carbs in tow (curries, for example, are tricky), but without compromising on flavour. Today’s recipe is the result of my tinkering. The vegetables and tofu can be processed in a food processor (or chopped very finely by hand), then it’s just a matter of putting everything in the oven and waiting for the magic to happen.

Oven-baked tofu chilli

Hugh eats this with guacamole and vegan creme fraiche, but I like to eat it with rice, too. You’ll need a food processor and a 30cm x 40cm oven tray.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 40 min
Serves 6

2 brown onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 red peppers (about 450g), pith and seeds discarded, flesh cut into chunks
280g extra-firm tofu, drained and roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
140ml rapeseed oil
1¾ tsp fine sea salt
3½ tbsp chipotle paste – I like Cool Chile Co
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
500ml passata
2 tbsp white miso paste
2 x 400g tins pulses (I used a mix of chickpeas and kidney beans), drained

To serve
Fresh coriander, shredded
Rice, guacamole and vegan creme fraiche

Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Working in batches and one ingredient at a time, pulse the onions, peppers and tofu in a food processor to mince-sized pieces, then tip them one by one into an oven tray. Add the garlic, oil, salt, chipotle, oregano and spices to the tray, mix well, then pop into the oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, stir the passata into the tray, then return it to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the miso in a jug, pour over 500ml just-boiled water and stir to dissolve.

After the chilli has had another 30 minutes (ie, after an hour in total), stir in the drained pulses, pour in the stock and return to the oven for a final 30 minutes, or until the chilli is rich, dark red and bubbling.

To serve, transfer the chilli to a serving bowl, scatter over the shredded coriander and serve with rice, guacamole and creme fraiche.

Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Susanna Unsworth. Photo assistant and retouching: Sophie Bronze

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/jan/13/oven-baked-tofu-chilli-vegan-recipe-meera-sodha