Slow Cooker Bean & Pea Chilli

Slow Cooker Bean & Pea Chilli

by Amy Oboussier 1 Comment

Amy Oboussier writes, 'This Bean Chilli is a firm favourite in our house, our go-to recipe whenever we want something comforting and hearty, with as little washing up as possible. It freezes well and can be made in large batches. We’ve made this recipe on the stove, in the oven and even over the campfire, so if you don't have a slow cooker you don't have to miss out.'
Watch a video of us making this recipe on our Instagram page.

With energy prices so high we're all looking for more energy efficient ways to cook. According to uswitch slow cookers are one of the most efficient cooking appliances, using little more energy than a lightbulb. An average-sized slow cooker uses just 1.3 kWh per meal cooked. Although they're traditionally associated with long, slow cooking of meat dishes, they're also perfect for cooking our pulses* from dry.

We always cook fava beans and other pulses in the slow cooker, preferably on a sunny day when the solar panels are producing some or all of our energy. We don’t have to check up on them or worry about leaving the gas hob unattended and the even heat cooks the beans exceptionally well.

This is the simplest possible version of this recipe - you throw in all your ingredients and walk away. However, if I’ve got the time, I brown the onion, carrot and celery in a pan before adding them to the slow cooker. This gives a little more depth of flavour and a pleasing texture. To reduce cooking time by an hour or so, you can also soak the pulses overnight, but this is not essential.

(*Some beans in the Phaseolus family - kidney beans, black beans, haricot and similar - contain lectins that can make you unwell if the beans aren't properly boiled. If you're cooking these beans do make sure your slow cooker has a 10 minute high temperature phase, or soak and boil your beans before adding to the slow cooker.)

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1lg Red Onion, finely chopped 
  • 2 Carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 Sticks of Celery, finely chopped
  • 3 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
  • 150g Black Badger Carlin Peas
  • 150g Whole Fava Beans
  • 1tbsp Tomato Puree
  • 200g Tomato Passata
  • 1/2tbsp Molasses
  • 1tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1tsp Sweet Paprika
  • 1 1/2tsp Ground Cumin
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1 or 2 Dried Chillies, I used smoked jalapenos
  • 1 1/2 tsp Helen Mon Oak Smoked Water
  • 2tsp Fava Bean Umami Paste
  • 2 Squares Dark Chocolate
  • To taste Salt and Pepper

Method

  1. (Optional) Soak your beans overnight and drain in the morning.
  2. (Optional) Fry your onion, carrot and celery over a high heat until browned.
  3. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker, add boiling water so the pulses are covered by a couple of centimetres of water and season to taste.
  4. Turn the slow cooker to high and cook for 3 to 4 hrs (or low and cook for 7 to 8hrs) until the pulses are tender and the liquid has reduced into a thick sauce.
  5. Check the seasoning and fish out the dried chillies and bay leaves.
  6. Serve with rice or quinoa, top with your preferred combination of fresh lime, fresh coriander, chillies and sour cream.

Slow Cooker Bean & Pea Chilli ingredients




Amy Oboussier
Amy Oboussier

Author



1 Response

Brian Jones
Brian Jones

September 19, 2023

I’ve just made this and it was absolutely delicious!

The recipe was incredibly simple to make. I had to really rush the preparation much more than I had intended and yet the end result was amazing. I just chucked everything into the slow cooker and pressed play! It fed three hungry teenagers who all loved it. Definite win and highly recommended.

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