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This is versatile mushroom chili recipe so good you won’t miss the meat. In fact, the finely chopped or ground mushrooms taste like meat — I was surprised how hearty and satisfying it was. Obviously, if you want to add some meat to your mushroom chili, go for it.
I have several chili recipes on this website, including arguably the best venison chili in the land — I make that claim because, if you read the comments of that one, you’ll see several dozen people have used that recipe to win cnhili cook-offs over the years.
This one, a mushroom chili, came to me when I felt like using some of my vast collection of dried mushrooms, as well as some nice freshies I’d picked that week. I decided to chop the fresh ones and mince the rehydrated dried ones to give the chili a more complex and hearty texture.
You’ll notice I haven’t mentioned what mushrooms to use for chili. That’s because it basically doesn’t matter.
At the most basic, you’d buy some cremini, shiitake or portobello mushrooms — brown is what you want here, not white — and a packet or two of the dried mushrooms that are usually for sale right next to the fresh ones.
Being a mushroom hunter, I used morels for the fresh ones and porcini and aspen boletes for the dried ones. But it really doesn’t matter, so long as it’s an edible mushroom. I will say that bright yellow chanterelles, or a white mushroom like a button or a matsutake, might look a little off in a traditional “bowl of red,” but it won’t hurt anything.
To bulk up the mushroom chili, I added dried corn, dried beans, some tomato and green chile, plus some dried chile powder. Note that that is chile powder, as in dried chiles, not chili powder, which has lots of other things in it. That said, if all you can find is the mixed chili powder, skip the cumin and coriander in the recipe because it’ll already be in that mix.
I separate them out because I prefer a more cumin-heavy chili, and I like to play with the kinds of dried chiles in my chili. I know, I know, if you’re not from the US and you’re reading this, chile and chili can be confusing.
I love using dried corn, known as chicos in New Mexico, chacales in Mexico (where the corn is cracked), and, well, dried corn in many indigenous communities here in the United States. It can be tough to find, though, so use fresh or thawed sweet corn instead. Different, but still fine.
If you are a Texan and as such the idea of beans in your chili gives you hives, leave them out. But then again, most Texans aren’t making mushroom chili. Theirs has beef.
Speaking of meat, go for it if it makes you happy. I won’t put it in the recipe below, but if you want to add meat to your mushroom chili (I do sometimes), add maybe a pound or two of ground or finely chopped meat.
What meat? Up to you. This is chili, folks. Literally anything can go in it. I once made a nutria chili and it was perfectly fine. Beef, venison, pork, turkey, lamb, mutton, goat, pheasant, you name it. Jackrabbit would be a cool idea…
Once made, mushroom chili keeps a week in the fridge and freezes well. If you want to pressure can a big batch of it, do that in pints, not quarts. The guidelines are 75 minutes at the pressure appropriate for your altitude.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below; I’d love to hear how everything went. If you’re on Instagram, share a picture and tag me at huntgathercook.
Mushroom Chili
Ingredients
- 3 to 6 ounces dried mushrooms (any kind)
- 4 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 1 cup dried corn (see below if using fresh or thawed)
- 1 cup dried beans (see below if using canned)
- 1 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped (any kind)
- 1 12-ounce bottle or can of dark, malty beer (see below for suggestions)
- 1 quart crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 4 tablespoons lard or oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 roasted green chiles, chopped (canned, thawed or fresh)
- Salt and pepper
- Hot sauce, cilantro, shredded cheese and sour cream, for garnish
Instructions
- Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let this steep for about 15 to 20 minutes while you seed and stem the dried chiles and chop things.
- Pour boiling water over the stemmed and seeded dried chiles and let them steep about 15 to 20 minutes, too.
- Meanwhile, fill a large soup pot two-thirds up with water. Add the dried corn and bring to a simmer. Simmer this as you do other things. (Dried corn takes a long time to cook.)
- When the mushrooms have steeped, remove them, saving the water. Chop them as fine as you want. I like these chopped finely, so they mimic ground meat. Set aside.
- Put the rehydrated chiles in a blender. Discard their soaking water. Carefully pour the mushroom soaking water into the blender, making sure there is no dirt or debris getting in there. Strain it if you have to. Puree the chiles in that mushroom water. Set aside.
- By this time, add your dried beans to the pot with the corn. Let the two simmer until the beans are mostly done, about 40 minutes. When the beans are close to being done — tender, a little al dente, but not mushy — mix in the pureed chiles, the beer, the chopped rehydrated mushrooms, the cumin and coriander, the tomatoes, and some salt.
- While this is cooking, get a pan hot and add the lard or oil. Saute the mushrooms and onion together over medium-high heat until both get some browning. This could take 10 minutes or so, because the mushrooms will need to give up their water first. Once that happens, add the minced garlic. Add all this to the pot.
- Keep cooking everything for about 20 minutes, then add the chopped, roasted green chiles. Adjust for salt and cook a few minutes more, then serve with the chili garnishes you like.
Notes
- If you want it spicier, use hotter dried chiles. I prefer to keep the base chili mellow, then add hot sauce. You do you. Switching ancho chiles for guajillo will darken the chili but add nice flavor. You can use a mix, too.
- If you want to add meat, brown it with the fresh mushrooms and onions.
- If you are using fresh or thawed corn, and/or canned beans, add them with the green chiles. Be sure to rinse your canned beans.
- Really any darker, maltier beer works. And if you can’t do beer, just use stock. I used a Negro Modelo, a dark Mexican lager. An English brown ale or a porter is also a good option.
- Canned green chiles often come in little cans. If that’s all you can find, buy two. The exact amount of green chiles isn’t critical. I find that three Anaheims (Hatch) roasted and chopped are good.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
In the recipe narrative you mention using dried chile powder, but I don’t see it listed in the ingredients. Are the dried chiles that are blended in the mushroom water what you use for chile powder?
I have a bunch of chacales that I can’t wait to use to make this chili.
Ron: The powdered chili, what I used initially, was powdered, dried guajillo chiles. These aren’t easy to get. So in the recipe I use dried guajillo chiles, which are easy to find. You’ll get the same effect in the end.
I changed the recipe a bit.
Add 1 T paprika and use 2 T cumin instead of 1. I used 2 cups corn. I added 1 T honey and about 1 tsp sesame oil.
Now I’m wondering if mushrooms would work in white chicken chili! It seems like a perfect match… and beer, I find adding that dark beer really does kick it up a notch! If you can get it, Gearys winter ale is wonderful in chili. Thank you Hank, again another winner!
The perfect dish for this time of year when the freezer is empty and deer season hasn’t opened yet.
Hank,
Love Chili and love mushrooms – on the list for Saturday!
Enjoy the Fall weather in Minnesota!
Tad