The chili debate is one of favorites. Texans can be stubborn, and most will tell you that beans have no business in chili con carne. You can easily shrug and ignore them, doing what pleases you.
However, bean broth adds something special to chili, even if you have few or no beans. The Texas aversion to beans in chili is understandable when you have a traditional Texas chili and then compare it to what is basically a vegetable stew with a few jalapeños in it. A hot vegetable stew is not chili, even if you make it spicy.
A much bigger issue than beans in the chili debate is tomatoes. They are sweet, juicy, and acidic, but they really are wrong for this dish. Try making chili with dried chiles and no tomatoes, and see if you don’t agree.
In this recipe from “The Bean Book,” substituted meat with big, beefy runner beans. A stubborn Texan isn’t likely to budge, but serve it with cornbread and enjoy yourself. Serving: 6 to 8 1⁄4 cup olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1⁄2 white onion, chopped 2 tablespoons pure New Mexican red chile powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, preferably Rancho Gordo Oregano Indio 2 cups vegetable broth 4 cups cooked, drained hearty heirloom beans, such as Rancho Gordo Ayocote Negro, Ayocote Morado, Scarlet Runner, or Domingo Rojo, plus about 1 cup of bean broth reserved Salt to taste Sugar (optional) 4 small zucchini (or 2 large), sliced into rounds or on a bias Corn kernels, from 3 ears of corn Lime wedges and/or c.