This Vegan Chile Colorado is made up of Gardein Beefless Tips simmered in a flavorful and delicious red chile sauce. A perfectly cozy stew for this snowy winter weather!
What is Chile Colorado?
Chile Colorado is a popular dish in Mexico that is typically beef simmered in a red chile sauce and broth to create a flavorful perfectly spiced stew. This dish gets it's name because the word “Colorado” means “colored red” in Spanish. It is not from the state of Colorado.
My version is in no way authentic but it is a delicious vegan alternative to the popular dish. I couldn't find a clear cut this is how you do it recipe so I took what I learned to craft this version. The chiles listed in the ingredient list is a guide. I've made this multiple times and each time I used different chiles and different amounts of chiles and each time the end result was incredibly tasty. This version is what I settled on because I enjoyed the combination of what the different chiles bring to the dish but you're good to go as long as you have at least 2 different chiles that equal about minimum 6 chiles. Guajillos and Ancho Chiles being my favorite!
What You Will Need For This Vegan Chile Colorado
Kitchen Essentials:
For this recipe you will need a fine mesh strainer.
Main Ingredients:
- Guajillo Chiles (dried)
- Ancho Chiles (dried)
- Arbol Chiles (dried)
- No Beef Broth or Vegetable Broth
- Gardein Beefless Tips
- Bay Leaves
How to serve Vegan Chile Colorado?
Vegan Chile Colorado can be served in numerous ways. I served mine with restaurant-style Mexican rice, refried beans, and corn tortillas. But you could also serve these in a taco, in enchilada, in a burrito, etc. Just don't forget the lime wedges and cilantro.
How To Make The Best Vegan Chile Colorado
You can usually find dried chiles in your local grocery store or Mexican grocery store. You'll need Guajillo Chiles, Arbol Chiles, and Ancho Chiles for this recipe but as long as you have at least 2 of these types of chiles, you're good to go! Read above for more information.
I highly recommend using the Gardein Beefless Tips. The texture is perfect for this dish! If you can't find this product, use homemade or store-bought seitan. I haven't tried this but you could also bake some tofu and add it after the sauce has thickened. If you try anything other than the beefless tips, let me know how it goes in the comments below.
For the Not-Beef Broth, I used the one from Edward & Sons. You can substitute this with normal vegetable broth. Keep in mind that all broths have different levels of saltiness so I kept the salt up in the air and up to you in this recipe. Taste and season accordingly.
More Recipes You Might Like:
If You Make This Recipe:
Tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I would greatly appreciate if you share your review in the comments below. Don’t forget to add if you made any fun substitutions. Thank you!
Vegan Chile Colorado
Ingredients
Red Chile Sauce:
- 2 Cups Not-Beef or Vegetable Broth see note
- 5 Dried Guajillo Chiles see note
- 2 Dried Ancho Chiles see note
- 1-2 Dried Arbol Chiles see note
- 1 Small Sweet Onion
- 2 teaspoon Dried Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- 3 Garlic Cloves
Chile Colorado:
- 1 Bag Gardein Beefless Tips
- 2 Cups Not-Beef or Vegetable Broth
- 1 Cup Water
- 2 Bay Leaves
- Salt if needed
Instructions
- Red Chile Sauce: Bring 2 cups of not-beef or vegetable broth to a boil.
- De-stem the guajillo chiles and the ancho chiles and remove seeds from all but 2 or 3 of the chiles. If you want the dish to be extra spicy, leave in some more of the seeds. Add them to the broth.
- Peel and cut the onion in half and then cut the halves in half. Add them to the boiling broth with the chiles and cover. Turn the heat off and let soften for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, use a slotted spoon and add the chiles and onion to a blender. Add in 1 cup of the soaking broth, oregano, cumin and garlic cloves to the blender as well. Blend for a few minutes until smooth.
- Run the red chile sauce through a mesh strainer in to a bowl. Push down on the solids to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
- Chile Colorado: Add 2 cups of not-beef or vegetable broth to a large pot along with the water, strained red chile sauce and 2 bay leaves. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Heat a pan on medium-high heat and add a touch of oil. Add the bag of Gardein Beefless Tips and cook until lightly browned on the outside, about 3-4 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the browned beefless tips to the sauce. Keep uncovered and raise the heat up to medium-high and cook for about 25-30 more minutes or until the sauce has reduced and thickened. If you want the sauce to be thicker, cook for a little longer. Taste the sauce and add salt if needed. This really depends on the saltiness of the broth you used. Remove bay leaves and serve!
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