The Best Vegetarian Chili EVER!

Historically, my husband has always been a bit skeptical of vegetarian chilis. I think this is because he used to eat meat (he turned veggie at age 15) and probably never got used to the non-meat flavor in veggie chili. (I could probably ask him why he didn’t like it but it’s more fun for me to speculate on this blog hehe). Anyway – I recently came across a really flavorful veggie chili recipe on Kath Eats and convinced my husband to try it. It was a total SUCCESS! He LOVED the chili so much he went back for seconds 🙂 I made a few modifications to Kath’s recipe – but overall stayed pretty true to it because it was so good! Thanks Kath for a great recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 can Kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Navy (or pinto) beans, drained and rinsed (I used pinto beans because I like them better)
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen okra (I actually omitted this, and substituted 1 cup of chopped red pepper)
• 1/2 cup frozen lima beans (or canned) (I omitted this too, and substituted 1/2 cup chopped red onion)
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth) To keep it veggie friendly, I used veggie broth of course 🙂
• 3 garlic cloves (I probably used closer to 4-5 to up the flavor)
• 1 heaping tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp Ghirardelli cocoa powder (unsweet) (This is totally the secret ingredient in the recipe! Makes the chili super smoky and gives it a wonderful flavor!)
• 2 sprinkles garlic powder (This ended up being about 1/2 tsp for me)
• 1 sprinkle cayenne pepper (This ended up being a little less than 1/4 tsp for me)
• 3-4 glugs Worcestershire sauce (Worcestershire sauce has anchovies in it, so I actually used soy sauce as a substitute and it worked great!)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• A few grinds of black pepper

Directions

1. Chop the garlic, onion, and red pepper. Saute lightly over medium high heat in 1-2 tsp olive oil
2. Add everything else into the pot! Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 min or longer as needed
4. Top with cheese, sour cream, and serve with tortilla chips!

Nutritionals

This makes 12 ladles of soup. Each ladle has ~135 calories; 8g protein; 8g fiber! Talk about a nutritional powerhouse in a one pot dish!

Pictures of the Ingredients I used…

The chili is almost done cooking…

Dinner is served!

Now topped with the cheese for the final touch – yummyyy 🙂

This chili really was the best veggie version both me and my husband have ever had. It had a great smoky quality about it, was super hearty with all the beans and veggies, and was amazingly easy to make! Thanks again Kath, you saved Sunday night dinner for me! 🙂

Simple, Healthy Veggie Chili!

I found this recipe for a vegetarian “chili” on foodtv.com and modified it a bit to be healthier and have more veggies! It’s super easy to make, takes only about 20-30min max, and tastes great! My modified recipe is below – the original is in the link above. This is a great recipe for first time cooks who are just starting out – you really can’t go wrong with this one so it’ll boost your cooking confidence right away 🙂

This meal also packs a nutritious punch with the antioxidant rich red peppers, red onions, and tomatoes; the fiber filled black & kidney beans, and the whole grain goodness of brown rice! 

It tastes as leftovers and can be used as toppings for nachos (using baked tortilla chips of course!) or eaten with crusty, toasted whole grain bread. 

Try it out and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients 

2 cups instant brown rice

1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

1/2 cup prepared salsa

1 tablespoon onion flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15-ounce) can white or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (11-ounce) can corn, drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup instant brown rice 
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 3/4 cup red onion, diced
• 1-2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (11-ounce) can corn, drained
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup prepared salsa (you can use 3/4 cup if you like more “sauce” in your chili)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions 

1. Cook rice according to package directions, keep warm, set aside

2. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute the bell pepper and red onion in the olive oil, until the onion is cooked (about 5 min); add tomatoes at the end and cook for 1 min

3. Add black beans, red kidney beans, tomato sauce, salsa, corn; stir to combine thoroughly

4. Add remaining ingredients (all spices); stir to combine; simmer for 5 min

5. Serve with brown rice (I usually put the brown rice at the bottom of the bowl, chili on top, and stir to combine).

Enjoy!