**A Vegetarian One-Pan Meal That Surprisingly Works: Chili and Cornbread**

If you're looking to spice up your meal routine, consider trying this one-pan wonder that's actually vegetarian. It may sound too good to be true, but trust me when I say it's a game-changer. The best part? It's incredibly easy to make and requires minimal effort from your end.

**The Secret Ingredient: Tofu**

Now, I know what you're thinking - tofu in chili? Has the world gone mad? Fear not, dear reader, for this is actually a genius move. You see, the key to making this dish work is to crumble the tofu into small pieces that resemble ground meat. It may take some practice to get it just right, but the end result is well worth the effort. To do this, simply remove the tofu from its packaging and squeeze out as much liquid as possible before crumbling it into small pieces.

**The Spices: The Magic Behind This Dish**

While traditional chili recipes often rely on ground beef or other meat products, our vegetarian version relies on a blend of spices to give it that rich, savory flavor. We're talking paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder - the usual suspects. But what sets this recipe apart is the addition of cocoa powder. Yes, you read that right - cocoa powder! It adds a deep, complex flavor that elevates this dish to new heights.

**The Secret Ingredient: Cocoa Powder**

I know some of you may be thinking, "But wait, isn't cocoa powder just for desserts?" And to that, I say... nope. The small amount used in this recipe is just enough to enhance the overall flavor without overpowering it. Trust me when I say it makes all the difference.

**Adding a Touch of Sweetness**

To balance out the acidity from the tomatoes, we're adding a tablespoon of brown sugar. This may seem like an unusual addition, but trust me when I say it's a must-have. The sweetness helps to round out the flavors and creates a beautifully balanced dish.

**Putting It All Together: A Recipe for Success**

Now that we have all our ingredients, let's talk about how to bring everything together. Simply combine the beans, corn, crushed tomatoes, tofu, spices, cocoa powder, and brown sugar in a large pan. Mix everything together until it's well combined, then cover the pan and pop it into the oven for a 30-minute cooking time.

**The Cornbread: The Perfect Companion**

While the chili is cooking away in the oven, we're working on our cornbread topping. This is where things get really fun - you can customize your cornbread to suit your tastes. I like to add a little sugar and baking powder to give it that extra kick. Simply mix everything together until it forms a smooth batter, then pour it into a greased pan.

**Time to Get Cooking**

It's finally time to put our dish together. Simply scoop the chili onto the bottom of the pan, followed by a generous helping of cornbread on top. The key is to spread it evenly so that every bite is perfect. If you're feeling fancy, feel free to get creative with your cornbread - just be sure not to overdo it.

**The Result: A Deliciously Unexpected Meal**

And there we have it - a one-pan meal that's actually vegetarian and surprisingly delicious. I was skeptical at first, but my kids loved it, and now so will you. With its rich flavors and satisfying texture, this dish is sure to become a staple in your household. So go ahead, give it a try, and see for yourself why this one-pan wonder has won the hearts of many.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi it's Rena from no way that's healthy and we're making supper again I get asked plenty of times what do I serve when I don't want a meat meal but I also don't want Dairy or fish this meal is your answer it is my one pan cornbread top chili that is actually vegetarian and it even stuck in some tofu in there okay don't run away just yet if you cannot tell it's in there and surprisingly enough my kids tried it and enjoyed it so I think you could be a little adventurous like my kids and give it a try too and if you're scared you can definitely use meat and place the tofu either way I know you're gonna love it now let's cook supper for the chili all we're gonna need are some beans I'm using here's black beans and white beans that I rinsed well but you can use any that you like kidney Works Pinto really doesn't matter we're gonna add that into a pan this is around two and a half to three cups of beans add as much or as little as you like I'm using about half of a can of corn you can use a hole if you like it's totally up to you nothing's going to go wrong if you add more or less add in a can of crushed tomatoes now for the tofu one of my tips is to freeze it as soon as you get it from the store it changes the texture of it and makes it better in my opinion and especially for this recipe because it'll crumble really nicely so you take it out of the bag it comes in squeeze it out a bit to let out some of that liquid and all you're going to do is crumble it so that it looks similar to what ground meat would look like and you'll see it easily crumbles up into these little rums and you're just going to do that with a whole block of tofu now again if tofu is not your thing you can do ground meat here and then you'll just remove the pan every so often and give it a chop up so that the meat falls apart but you can totally use meat and it'll be very delicious for the spices we're adding in the typical paprika chili powder salt pepper garlic and onion powder and I'm also adding in a secret ingredient which is cocoa powder now don't run away just yet it adds a very deep delicious flavor to the chili and you're not going to leave it out and I also add in about a tablespoon of brown sugar to help with the acidity from the tomatoes in there it really does go a long way and it's very helpful for this dish I'm gonna give that a mix in so that the spices coat everything evenly and I'm also going to add in a cup of water that's it even it out we're going to cover it tightly and put it into the oven let it cook for a little while and then we're going to top it with our cornbread for the cornbread topping all you're going to need is some flour some cornmeal and I'm going to add in sugar baking powder and salt put all that in and now you're going to add in your egg and oil and now you can use milk or water if you can use a dairy-free milk you can use regular milk water does work although I do think looks a little better if you have it the chili is hot out of the oven and all I'm doing now is giving it a mix and at this point you might want to taste it and see if you want to add anything else if you feel it needs more flavor you can totally add if you think it needs a little more sugar that might be needed depending on your Tomatoes if they're too acidic and then all I'm going to do is just kind of spread it all out and we're going to top it with the cornbread now you can definitely make these into muffins put them into a pan do it separately it does need to go on top but I personally like it scooping it out with the cornbread on top and the chili on the bottom but it's definitely up to you so now pour it as evenly as possible don't worry if it's not totally even you can definitely double the cornbread as well it is that good so if you want to go for it now just spread it out all around it's okay if some of the sauce kind of mixes with it and now we're going to put it into the oven uncovered and bake it just till this is cooked through and it's ready so you see it is done the cornbread is cooked on top you have the chili on the bottom and cut right into it scoop it up and put it into a bowl I love this meal we have one pan full meal and it's something different than what you're typically used to but let me tell you it is absolutely delicious I think you're gonna enjoy it if you'd be a little adventurous and try it out if you do like it please make sure to comment below and let me know I'd love to hear your feedbackhi it's Rena from no way that's healthy and we're making supper again I get asked plenty of times what do I serve when I don't want a meat meal but I also don't want Dairy or fish this meal is your answer it is my one pan cornbread top chili that is actually vegetarian and it even stuck in some tofu in there okay don't run away just yet if you cannot tell it's in there and surprisingly enough my kids tried it and enjoyed it so I think you could be a little adventurous like my kids and give it a try too and if you're scared you can definitely use meat and place the tofu either way I know you're gonna love it now let's cook supper for the chili all we're gonna need are some beans I'm using here's black beans and white beans that I rinsed well but you can use any that you like kidney Works Pinto really doesn't matter we're gonna add that into a pan this is around two and a half to three cups of beans add as much or as little as you like I'm using about half of a can of corn you can use a hole if you like it's totally up to you nothing's going to go wrong if you add more or less add in a can of crushed tomatoes now for the tofu one of my tips is to freeze it as soon as you get it from the store it changes the texture of it and makes it better in my opinion and especially for this recipe because it'll crumble really nicely so you take it out of the bag it comes in squeeze it out a bit to let out some of that liquid and all you're going to do is crumble it so that it looks similar to what ground meat would look like and you'll see it easily crumbles up into these little rums and you're just going to do that with a whole block of tofu now again if tofu is not your thing you can do ground meat here and then you'll just remove the pan every so often and give it a chop up so that the meat falls apart but you can totally use meat and it'll be very delicious for the spices we're adding in the typical paprika chili powder salt pepper garlic and onion powder and I'm also adding in a secret ingredient which is cocoa powder now don't run away just yet it adds a very deep delicious flavor to the chili and you're not going to leave it out and I also add in about a tablespoon of brown sugar to help with the acidity from the tomatoes in there it really does go a long way and it's very helpful for this dish I'm gonna give that a mix in so that the spices coat everything evenly and I'm also going to add in a cup of water that's it even it out we're going to cover it tightly and put it into the oven let it cook for a little while and then we're going to top it with our cornbread for the cornbread topping all you're going to need is some flour some cornmeal and I'm going to add in sugar baking powder and salt put all that in and now you're going to add in your egg and oil and now you can use milk or water if you can use a dairy-free milk you can use regular milk water does work although I do think looks a little better if you have it the chili is hot out of the oven and all I'm doing now is giving it a mix and at this point you might want to taste it and see if you want to add anything else if you feel it needs more flavor you can totally add if you think it needs a little more sugar that might be needed depending on your Tomatoes if they're too acidic and then all I'm going to do is just kind of spread it all out and we're going to top it with the cornbread now you can definitely make these into muffins put them into a pan do it separately it does need to go on top but I personally like it scooping it out with the cornbread on top and the chili on the bottom but it's definitely up to you so now pour it as evenly as possible don't worry if it's not totally even you can definitely double the cornbread as well it is that good so if you want to go for it now just spread it out all around it's okay if some of the sauce kind of mixes with it and now we're going to put it into the oven uncovered and bake it just till this is cooked through and it's ready so you see it is done the cornbread is cooked on top you have the chili on the bottom and cut right into it scoop it up and put it into a bowl I love this meal we have one pan full meal and it's something different than what you're typically used to but let me tell you it is absolutely delicious I think you're gonna enjoy it if you'd be a little adventurous and try it out if you do like it please make sure to comment below and let me know I'd love to hear your feedback\n"