I love dishes that are easy to make – especially the one-pot recipes. They are great time savers. I also love dishes that take a little extra time but can be made in large quantities without the delta effort. They serve great for large gatherings and freeze well for later use.
One such recipe is this Vegetarian Chili. Not just for vegetarians, this is a great hit with omnivores as well. The alchemy of beans, veggies and spices is warming to the belly and soul. And the best part? It is gluten free and can be easily made into a vegan dish (just skip the sour cream).
Vegetarian Chili Beans
You see, I love stocking up on as many types of beans as I can lay my hands on. For one, dried beans have a long shelf life. For another, since I am a vegetarian, one of my protein sources is beans. Having them handy in my kitchen allows me to use them regularly for several recipes.
For this recipe, I’ve used six varieties of beans that I happened to find in my pantry – Red Adzuki Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Black Beans, Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans and Navy Beans. All of them are pantry staples with a very long shelf life. One can use the canned variety for this chili to save time. If you do use cans, make sure they have a BPA-free lining. Rinse the canned beans thoroughly in running water and drain them before using.
Vegetarian Chili Beans
Vegetarian Chili Veggies and Toppings
This is where one can get very creative. For veggies, I’ve used whatever I found in my fridge – staples once again. I’ve used garlic, onions, carrots, colored bell peppers, celery (frozen in this case), crushed tomatoes (not featured in the pictures below) and 2 varieties of zucchini squash – yellow and green. Use your imagination to substitute or add to this list. Veggies that cook at around the same time will save you cooking time. In addition, vegetables that don’t become mush are preferred. Mushrooms, broccoli, sweet corn, sweet potato and asparagus will also work well for this recipe.
For flavor, I’ve opted for cumin powder and chipotle (made from dried and smoked jalapenos) powders. Both add a distinct deliciousness to the dish. Both are optional, but I encourage you to give them a try.
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- Vegetarian Chili Veggies
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- Vegetarian Chili Fixings
Same is the case with toppings and fixings. I am aiming for ‘eating the rainbow’, as much as possible. Red onions and jalapenos add both a pop of color and a bit of a kick to the chili. Cilantro adds an herbal touch to the dish. Cheese and sour cream are mostly indulgences, as are the blue corn chips. Use them or lose them, so per your preference (esp. vegans).
If you make this recipe, or you’d made vegetarian chili before, please share your thoughts in the comments section. I’d love to hear from you.
A diet rich in vegetables can reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, blood pressure and so on. Vegetables are a great source of fiber and a host of other nutrients. This dish also has a chockablock of various plant proteins in the beans variety that I’ve used. Beans are also high in fiber, which helps with cardiovascular and gut health.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G Bean Recipes
Check out some of our delicious and nutritious recipes that use a variety of amazing beans:
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Easy & Delicious Vegetarian Chili
Ingredients
- 1/8 Cup Garbanzo Beans
- 1/8 Cup Red Kidney Beans
- 1/8 Cup Black Beans
- 1/8 Cup Pinto Beans
- 1/8 Cup Adzuki Beans
- 1/8 Cup Navy Beans
- 2 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic - Minced
- 1/2 Cup Onion - Finely Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Red Bell Peppers
- 1/4 Cup Green Bell Peppers
- 1/2 Cup Zucchini - I've used 1:1 of Green and Yellow Zucchini
- 1/4 Cup Carrots
- 1/4 Cup Celery
- 1 Cup Tomato - Crushed. You can use canned tomatoes
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder - Or to taste
- 1 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder - Or to taste. Available online
- 1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or to taste
Toppings:
- 1/4 Cup Cilantro - Finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Sour Cream
- 1 Tablespoon Mexican Cheese Blend
- 1 Jalapeno - Diced
- 1/4 Cup Onion - Red Onion - finely cut
- 1 Cup Blue Corn Tortilla Chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, wash the beans a couple of times and drain. Add filtered water into the bowl and make sure the beans are fully immersed in water. Ideally, water level should be about 5 inches above the beans to allow for expansion. Leave beans to soak for 8-10 hours.
- Drain the water out. Add fresh water, to just cover the beans. Cook the beans in the Instant Pot (IP) for 12 mins under High Pressure. Let the pressure release naturally. I have used the Pot-in-Pot (PiP) method here. You can also cook the beans in a regular pressure cooker.
- In a thick-bottomed vessel, add oil of choice. Once the oil has heated, add garlic and onions and sauté until onions are translucent. Add red/green bell peppers, yellow/green zucchini, carrots and celery. Add salt. Stir the veggies until they are firmly cooked (not mush) - about 4-5 minutes.
- Add beans (along with the liquid it cooked in), salt and crushed tomato. Give it all a stir and let all the flavors mix for 1 minutes.
- Add cumin powder and ground chipotle powder. Stir occasionally and let everything come to a gentle boil.
Fixings:
- For this recipe, I have served the Vegetarian Chili with the following: Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, Chopped Cilantro, Blue Corn Chips, Chopped Red Onions, Diced Jalapeño and Sour Cream.Ladle hot Chili into a serving bowl. Allow your family and friends to choose from the toppings to make their own version!
