$7.39 Vegan Chili & Cornbread: Autumn Comfort in a Bowl

I feel like I’ve been making a lot of soups and stews lately, but it makes sense! It’s officially autumn, aka soup season.

I love to help vegans, vegetarians and the like who may be on a budget come up with great things to eat. And today’s recipe is just that: four servings of vegan chili and cornbread for just over $7.

Let me show you how to make it (and what to buy)!

The Ingredients

It was a pretty simple shopping list for this particular recipe: you’ll need just one yellow or white onion (whichever is cheapest for you), two cans of chili beans, 1 can of tomato sauce, vegetable bouillon, chili powder and vegetarian corn muffin mix.

These ingredients were purchased from my local grocery store and came to a total of $7.39. Pretty good to me!

The Prep

First, we’ll prepare the cornbread. Use parchment paper to line a loaf pan. Set aside for a moment,

Then, in a medium bowl, mash 1/3 cup of the chili beans (this will be a stand-in for the egg). Add 1/3 cup of water and the corn muffin mix, mixing until combined.

Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan and bake at 400F for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Next, we’ll start the chili. Dice the onion. Heat a pot on medium heat and add some water (unless you happen to have oil in the house, then do a couple tablespoons of oil). Cook the diced onion for 10-15 minutes, until translucent.

Meanwhile, prepare the broth. I used two bouillon cubes mixed in 2 cups of water.

Also at this time, mash the rest of the opened can of chili beans (leave the other can unmashed).

Once the onion is translucent, go ahead and add the rest of your ingredients: the mashed beans, the can of unmashed chili beans, the can of tomato sauce, the 2 cups of broth, and 1 tablespoon of the chili powder (or to taste).

Stir the chili well. Bring it to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for around an hour, stirring occasionally.

The Final Meal

The final meal will make 4 servings, which comes out to about $1.85 per serving! Not bad if you ask me.

The chili is flavorful and spicy, savory and warming for those cool autumn evenings. Not the *thickest* chili out there, but certainly a comforting bowl of food.

You may find that the cornbread is a little crumbly, which I suppose all cornbread is a bit crumbly. But it’s all the better to crumble on top of your bowl of chili!

You may also have better mileage if you do thick slices (as opposed to thinner ones).

I hope this recipe finds you doing well! Not a perfect recipe by any means, but mouths will be fed.

And I truly wish you all the best, whatever situation you find yourself in today.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, peace! 🙂