I thought I understood regional culinary pride. I “got” the idea that every state has their own ideas about the word barbecue, and that every city has its own claim to fame. You can’t watch as many hours of Man v. Food as I have and not understand the concept. But then I moved to Texas.

And no one is more insistent that their way is the right way than a Texan.

Although that statement could take us in a lot of different directions, I’ll leave politics, education, and whether you can call shoes you order from Zappos “cowboy boots” aside, and focus instead on something made even more famous on the current season of Top Chef: Texas.

I’m talking about chili.

We all grow up with ideas about what chili should and shouldn’t be. For me, the gold standard is the simple beef-and-bean concoction served with (inevitably) burned cheese toast that my dad would make for us on Sundays when I was growing up. It wasn’t fancy, but taste buds are suckers for nostalgia. Try and take that chili to the Lone Star State, however, and Papa Smart would be kicked out off his saddle faster than you can say “Texas two-step.”

Because in Texas, chili and beans do not mix. The thought of putting anything besides beef into a pot of something labeled chili is reprehensible, despicable, and unthinkable.

But I’m not in Texas anymore, and when feeling chilly means craving chili — and yes, that was a bad pun even for me — the only thing this ‘I lived in cattle country and came back an (almost) vegan’ girl can do is make some.

With beans.

This don’t-serve-it-in-Texas chili is unlike anything you’ve ever eaten before, and the key to its incredible smoky-sweet flavor is an unassuming, not-just-for summer cook-outs anymore, can of Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans. Health-conscious consumer note: this is one of the only canned baked beans on the grocery store shelves without high-fructose corn syrup on the ingredient label.

The sweet, molasses infused syrup in that can lends a unique, but subtle, flavor to a dish that is genius in its ease and versatility. Not only does it require very little knife-cutting (instead relying heavily on can-opening), it can also be adapted to suit the palates and preferences of both the herbivores and the meat-eaters in your life. It’s a recipe straight out of Choose Your Own Dietary Restriction: The Cookbook.

Trust me on this one. Even if you are from Texas.

 Baked Bean Chili
(Unless you’re from Texas … then you can call it Baked Bean Stew)

1. Saute onion, pepper, and garlic in a little olive oil (or ‘steam’ in water) in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat.
2. Once onion and pepper are softened, stir in chili powder, cumin, chipotle, and salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes, or until fragrant.
3. Add corn, tomatoes, and mashed beans to the pot.
4. Bring to a simmer, and allow to cook for 5-10 minutes.
5. If desired, use an immersion blender, puree chili a bit for added texture. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you may remove a cup or two of chili and puree in a standard blender, but be careful, as hot liquids and a blender can only result in slightly explosive hilarity.
5. For serving, garnish with fresh cilantro.

As with all soups and stews, this will taste better the longer the flavors have had a chance to develop. I recommend waiting 24 hours (or more) before serving, or, at the very least, put it together in the morning and reheat hours later for dinner.

For the vegetarians: Serve with cheddar cheese or sour cream. If you have leftovers the next day, serve in a bowl topped with a fried egg for breakfast!

For the carnivores: Substitute vegetarian baked beans for beans cooked with bacon, or add a few strips of chopped bacon to the pan prior to cooking the onion, pepper, and garlic. Remove cooked bacon — leaving the drippings in the pan — and drain on paper towels. Add it back to the pan with the beans. You might also want to add some cooked ground beef, chicken, or turkey instead of the extra can of beans.

Sarah Pember is an elementary school teacher known in the healthy living blog world (or at least by a handful of people) as Miss Smart. She blogs from The Smart Kitchen, where she spends an absurd amount of time using her food processor, eating nut butter from the jar, and dancing around her kitchen in (authentic) cowboy boots.