Vegetarian Chilli in Tortilla Bowls

Vegetarian chilli is a popular meal in my household, but it gets a bit boring after a while. After spotting various meat-based taco salad and Tex-Mex tortilla bowl recipes on Pinterest, I thought I've have a go at making a veggie version...

Serves 4

For the chilli, rice and bowls

• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 cup vegetarian/vegan mince
• 2 tsp mild chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp finely chopped red chilli
• A good pinch of cinnamon
• ½ can red kidney beans or other beans, drained
• 1 small can sweetcorn, drained
• 250ml passata

• 1 packet of microwave Mexican rice or ½ portion Mexican rice
• 4 large tortillas

Salad

• ½ lettuce, finely shredded
• 1 green bell pepper, halved and finely sliced
• 1 chunk of cucumber, halved, de-seeded and sliced
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated

Salad dressing

• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp, chopped pickled jalapenos

Toppings

• ½ cup salsa
• ½ cup guacamole
• ½ cup mature cheddar cheese, grated (or vegan alternative), and/or soured cream
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped

First make your tortilla bowls. I used this tutorial from The Yummy Life, but found they needed a little practice to get the timings right and that I needed to microwave them first for around 15 seconds, to soften them, before baking. If I was going to make these regularly, I'd invest in a set of Tortilla/Taco Salad Pans.

Fry the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further minutes or two.
Stir in all  the spices and the oregano, then add the veggie mince.
Pour in the passata, beans and sweetcorn, and simmer for around 15 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the salad ingredients, mix the dressing together and set to one side.

To serve, heat the rice and divide between the tortilla bowls.
Spoon the veggie chilli over the rice.
Top with your choice of salsa, guacamole, grated cheese/vegan cheese and soured cream.
Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and serve with a side salad.