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After years of making chili with ground beef, I tried it with dried beans and lentils instead and the texture was honestly way better for half the cost.
A bag of brown lentils and dried kidney beans cost me about $3 total versus $7 for a pound and a half of ground beef and they gave the chili a heartier, more rustic feel that my family actually preferred has anyone else had luck swapping out expensive meat for cheap legumes in their soup recipes?
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the_sam19d agoMost Upvoted
Oh yeah I did almost the exact same thing with my lentil soup actually! I was skeptical at first but swapping out the sausage for extra beans just made everything feel more filling and cozy. Now I basically just throw in whatever dried beans I have on hand and it always turns out great.
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lisa519d ago
Exactly 3 cups of dried green lentils per batch is what I settled on after too many mushy soup experiments. The trick is to rinse them and add them raw right into the broth, not cook them separate first. I learned that the hard way when my lentils turned to paste and I was basically eating bean porridge. You gotta watch that cumin too, I buy it in bulk at the local market now because I go through it so fast. Another thing is to save your parmesan rinds and drop one in while it simmers, adds a deep savory note without any meat. And don't be shy with the smoked paprika, that's what really tricks your brain into thinking there's sausage in there.
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the_dylan19d ago
That part about "hearty, more rustic feel" really hit home. I did the same thing last year with my white chicken chili recipe. Took out the chicken, doubled the cannellini beans. What shocked me was how the texture held up even after freezing and reheating a few times.
Actually I ran into @logan705 at the grocery store a while back and he mentioned he'd been doing the same thing with black bean soup. Said his kids didn't even notice the missing meat. Made me think we're all just conditioned to think chili needs beef. Bean texture just works better for that thick stewy consistency.
Only downside is the extra cumin and chili powder I have to add to keep the flavor punchy. But for the savings and the way the lentils almost melt into the broth, it's worth it.
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