Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe
A bowl of this hearty and healthy Vegetarian Chili will warm you up even on the coldest winter night. It’s simple and easy to make, either on the stovetop or in a slow cooker, but the smoky and spicy flavors will make it seem as though it was a lot harder than it was.
Servings: 4 Servings
Ingredients
For the Vegetarian Chili:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup of red lentils, dried
- 2, 15-ounce cans black beans
- 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup mild chili powder
- 3 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 avocado, optional, chopped into 1-inch cubes, for garnish
- ¼ cup cilantro, optional, chopped
For the Beans (Optional, if you're making you're own)
- ¾ cup dried beans
- ½ small yellow onion, quartered
- 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, stir to combine, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, until fragrant and starting to brown.
- To the pot, add the red lentils, black beans, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Fill the empty tomato can with water and pour it into the pot (or just add 3 ½ cups of water), then stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes, or until the lentils have swollen and started to pop.
- Garnish each bowl of chili with the cubed avocado, cilantro, and enjoy!
If you're making your own black beans:
- Place the beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Set the pot aside to soak for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.
- Once the beans are done soaking, drain and rinse them. Then, return them to the pot, add fresh water to cover, and drop in the onion, garlic, bay leaf, and salt. Bring the beans to a low boil over medium heat, then cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 to 1 ½ hours, until the beans are tender. Remove from the heat and discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaf.
Notes
- Keep it vegan - keep this recipe vegan-friendly by choosing only dairy-free toppings.
- Make it in the slow cooker - make this vegetarian chili recipe in the slow cooker by adding all ingredients (except for the garnishes, of course) to the slow cooker and cooking on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Nutrition
Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 834mg | Potassium: 622mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4453IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 7mg