This recipe was an absolute surprise in the making, but oh my god – it is such a good one!! This recipe on rota in our household and gets made at least once a week. It is absolutely divine and is a great mash up between two popular comfort foods: Cheeseburgers and a chili. This one can be enjoyed in summer, as well towards more colder nights for ultimate comfort. Do you want to know what the coolest thing altogether is? You can get this Cheeseburger Chili Bowl on your table in 20 minutes tops. That’s what I call comfort!
What You Will Find In This Post
- What to expect from a Cheeseburger Chili Bowl?
- Why this bowl is good for us
- Easy Swaps and Questions
- How to adjust this recipe to your individual dietary requirements
- Other comfort-inspired recipes on the blog
What To Expect From a Cheeseburger Chili Bowl
It is a valid question, and one I am more than happy to answer! This recipe was meant to be the filling for a brioche bun. I did not have time to make the brioche bun, and looked into the pot and thought: Can we sell this as kind of a “chili”? Yes we can! My friends absolutely adored it (so did I and my entire family!!), and hence the Cheeseburger Chili Bowl was born. The ground “beef” (I am using a vegetarian version, but of course you could also use real beef), combined with the cheddar, gherkins and tomato paste already perfectly combines cheeseburger and chili vibes. The cheese (do not spare on the cheese!!) is what brings this dish perfectly together. Lastly, I added a crumb (totally optional, you do not need to do it), which provides a bit more texture and flavor, just like a real hamburger bun.
Why This Cheeseburger Chili Bowl is Good For You
Granted, this recipe does not contain many ingredients, but let me shine a light on onions for a second. Traditionally known as a medicinal food, the health benefits of onions have been known for centuries. Onions are high in vitamin B and C, as well as potassium. They also contain quite a bit of fiber. Onions contain an antioxidant called quercetin. Quercetin is keeping the nutritional research world at bay as there are more and more health benefits associated with it. It is highly anti-inflammatory and may be linked to reducing blood pressure. Onions have also been linked to a reduction of triglycerides and cholesterol. Combined with the better blood pressure and anti-inflammatory properties, this makes onions an excellent supporter of your heart health!
Easy Swaps and Questions
What kind of vegan minced meat are you using? I appreciate that there are loads of different options out there. Personally, I use a brand that only has two ingredients in their vegan minced meat, which is pea protein and jackfruit, yet has amazing flavor. I tend to shy away from working with meat “alternatives” as usually they contain a lot of fillers, soy or gluten, which may not be tolerated by everyone. If you would like to make your own minced meat, you can make my Rich Walnut Ragu and use that as a base instead. Alternatively, Pinch of Yum also has a vegetarian minced meat option in her Vegetarian Chili recipe.
Can I swap in regular meat instead of a vegetarian/vegan alternative? Of course you can, just use about the same amount of meat and you should be golden.
What if I cannot find roasted onions? A tricky one, I get that. If I do not have roasted onions at hand, I tend to replace them with some fried off garlic. Simply chop 3-4 cloves of garlic and add them with a bit of cooking oil of choice to a pan. Fry off for ca. 3-4 minutes until golden. Set aside and then continue with the recipe. Mix under the cheeseburger chili as if you would use the fried onions.
How to adjust this recipe to your individual dietary requirements
This recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, and dairy-free. With regards to nuts and gluten – be sure to check what kind of a minced meat you are using (if you are using a vegan/vegetarian one). If you are using vegan cheese and vegan “minced meat” then this recipe is, of course, also vegan.
Other Comfort-Inspired Recipes On The Blog
There are so many delicious, comforting dishes on the blog. If you are in the mood/need for some comfort, be sure to check out the following:
- Comforting Tomato Noodle Soup
- Hearty Vegan Pizza Soup Bowl
- Creamy Blender Beetroot Pasta
- Vegan Mac and Peas Casserole
- Green Cabbage Arancini Balls
And that is it for this week! I hope you enjoyed this delicious, super tasty and absolutely divine Cheeseburger Chili Bowl. As always, do let me know how you are getting on with the recipe and whether you are liking it by leaving me a starred review and/or a comment below. Thank you so much in advance and ENJOY this delicious dish!!
Cheeseburger Chili Bowl
2
servings15
minutes10
minutes20
minutesThis Cheeseburger Chili Bowl combines everything one could wish for – delicious taste, comfort food, and a quick turnaround in the kitchen!
Ingredients
- For the crumb
50 gr. (stale) gluten-free bread
1 tbsp roasted onions
1/2 tsp garlic powder
- For the cheeseburger chili
2 tsp cooking oil of choice
1 white onion
250 gr. vegan or vegetarian minced meat
150 gr. cornichons
3 tbsp roasted onions – see notes*
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp mustard
100 gr. shredded cheese (ideally 2 kinds) – see notes*
Salt and pepper to taste
- For the remainder of the bowl
Salad of choice
Sauce!!
How to
- For the crumb
- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 Fahrenheit) on a fan setting. In a blender or small food processor combine the (stale) gluten-free bread, the roasted onions, and the garlic powder. Blend on high until you have a crumb texture. Transfer to an oven proof dish and spread out. Put in the oven and roast for ca. 12 – 15 minutes, until golden and smelling slightly fragrant
- For cheeseburger chili
- Peel and finely chop the white onion. Bring a medium-sized pot (personally, I like to do this recipe in a pot, but you could also use a rather large frying pan) to medium-heat and melt the cooking oil of choice. Once hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent, ca. 5 minutes. Add the vegan or vegetarian minced meat and cook for a further five minutes until cooked all the way through
- Meanwhile, chop the cornichons. When the minced meat is done and everything is hot in the pot, take it off heat and stir under the cornichons, roasted onions, tomato paste, mustard, and cheese. Do a final taste test and add salt and pepper
- For the remainder of the bowl
- Add some salad of choice next to the chili cheeseburger bowl, along with the crumb on top. Last, add some sauce on top!! This is what will take this recipe from “great” to “wow”. You can use mayonnaise or a standard burger sauce. You could also use the sauce from my Jackfruit Fajita Salad or my Homemade BBQ Sauce.
Notes
- See in my “Easy Swaps and Questions” an easy trick if you want do not have roasted onions at hand or cannot locate them at the supermarket
- It does not really matter what kind of cheese, but I have found two different ones work wonders. One of the more obvious choices would be cheddar, but I have done it with parmesan (because I had nothing else at hand) or regular shredded cheese also does the job.
