Vegetarian Chili
This vegetarian chili is a hearty three-bean soup that's rich with tomato juice, chili powder, and just enough heat. Made with dried beans and slowly simmered, it's a pantry-friendly comfort that always tastes delicious.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried cranberry beans
- ½ cup dried pinto beans
- ¼ cup dried kidney beans
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 8 cups water
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 medium onion minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 qts tomato juice
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 3-4 jalapeños minced (with or without seeds for heat)
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 3 tbsp white rice
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- prepared beans (above)
- 3-4 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare the beans: Look over the beans to ensure there are no stones or bad-looking contaminants. Rinse the beans and place them in a large stockpot with the water and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and set aside to let soak for 1 hour.½ cup dried cranberry beans, ½ cup dried pinto beans, ¼ cup dried kidney beans, 8 cups water, 2 tbsp kosher salt
- Build the soup: Heat oil in a large Dutch oven. Add onion when the oil begins to shimmer. Let the onion sauté and turn translucent, 4-5 minutes. Then add tomato paste and stir to cook out the raw flavor, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the tomato juice, red pepper, jalapeños, and chili powder. Stir in the rice and brown sugar. The rice helps to slightly thicken the soup, and the sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes. Bring the chili to a simmer. Then drain the beans and add them to the Dutch oven along with the bay leaves.2 tbsp neutral oil, 1 medium onion, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 qts tomato juice, 1 red bell pepper, 3-4 jalapeños, 3 tbsp white rice, 2 tbsp light brown sugar, prepared beans (above), 3-4 bay leaves, 2 tbsp chili powder
- Simmer: Place on lid and let simmer until beans are cooked through, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Stir every so often to ensure nothing is burning or sticking to the bottom. This shouldn't be a problem if using a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven.
- Finish and serve: To finish the chili, add vinegar. This helps brighten or "wake up" the flavors after a long simmer. If the chili is too thick for personal preference, thin it down with a little more tomato juice.1 tbsp distilled white vinegar
Video
Notes
Canned bean option – If you want to skip the dried beans, use three 15-oz cans of beans, drained and rinsed. Choose whichever type of bean you like the best, but I would suggest doing two cans of kidney beans and one can of pinto beans.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 151kcal