Chilli Con Veggie (Jamie Oliver)

Serves 10·Added 5 May 2026 by Tom Melhuish

MainGluten-FreeVegetarian

Portions:

Ingredients

2	medium	onions
4	cloves	garlic
1	medium	leek
1	long	fresh red chilli
2	tablespoons	olive oil
2	tablespoons	ground cumin
2	tablespoons	ground coriander
2	tablespoons	smoked paprika
1/2	stick	cinnamon(or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
2	tablespoons	dried oregano
1	whole	nutmeg(for grating)
2	tablespoons	tomato purée
250	g	dried green lentils
250	g	dried red lentils
2	x 400g tins	red kidney beans
2	x 400g tins	black beans
2	x 400g tins	chopped tomatoes
1.2	litres	vegetable stock

Method

1.Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic, then trim and finely chop the leek and chilli and place into your largest, heavy-based pan over a medium heat with the oil. Fry for about 5 minutes, or until softened.

2.Add the spices, dried herbs and a good grating of nutmeg, then fry for 2 minutes – if it’s a little dry at this point, simply add a splash of water to help it out. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a further 2 minutes.

3.Stir in the lentils. Drain, rinse and stir in the beans, followed by the chopped tomatoes and the stock.

4.Bring it all to the boil, then reduce to a low heat and let it bubble away for at least 1 hour, or until thickened and reduced, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes, then season to how you like it.

5.Serve with rice or on a jacket potato, scattered with coriander leaves and with lime wedges and a dollop of soured cream on the side.

Recipe Notes

AI · may be inaccurate

Substitutions

cinnamon stick → ground cinnamon (pantry availability)
homemade stock → stock cubes (convenience)

Tips

I leave the seeds in the chilli, but deseed if you prefer.

Comments (1)

Tom Melhuish6 May 2026

We make 0.5x servings - it makes A LOT