The BEST Vegetarian Chili! Make it with eggplant, plum tomatoes, onions, garlic, zucchini, peppers, jalapeños, kidney beans, and cilantro. You won’t miss the meat!
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Vegetarian chili that even a dedicated carnivore will love
For those of you who have been reading Simply Recipes for a while, you probably guessed (rightly so) that my father is a committed carnivore.
So maybe you’ll understand that Dad, who spent an afternoon preparing that veggie chili with veggies he bought that morning at the farmer’s market, would only put as much care into a meatless chili, his dinner, if this one Chili would be damn good.
This vegetarian chili is so good.
Vegetarian Chili Success
It’s excellent! Spicy, spicy, delicious.
Of course my mother had to convince dad, no, we didn’t need a steak in addition to the chili, it should remain a meatless chili – the beans were full of protein. And no, we didn’t need potatoes either. We served our vegetarian chili with French bread.
We used canned beans, but of course you can also prepare your own beans on the stovetop or in the pressure cooker.
How to store and freeze this chili
Like many chillies, this tastes just as good the next day. It will keep in the fridge for three to four days and can be reheated over low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
To freeze, allow to cool completely, then transfer to freezer containers. Freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or reheat straight from the freezer on the stovetop over low heat.
Want more great chili recipes?
- Easy vegetarian chili with mushrooms
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken Chili
- Minced Chili
- Easy no-bean chili
- Cincinnati Chili
Spicy vegetarian chili
The degree of heat of this vegetarian chili depends on how much chili powder and how many jalapeños you put in the chili. If you like it on the mild side, start with smaller amounts of each and add as you like.
ingredients
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1 1-pound (450G) auberginecut into 1 inch cubes
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5 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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2 yellow onionschopped
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3 cloves garlicchopped
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2 Middle zucchinichopped
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2 big Red peppercored, cored, diced
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1 to 2 jalapeno pepperseeded, finely chopped (Taste and check the hotness of the jalapeños. If very hot use one, if slightly hot use two. Wash hands with soap and water after handling. Rub eyes Not.)
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1 28-ounce (794 g) can Italian plum tomatoes, roughly chopped, liquid included (or 2 lb fresh plum tomatoespeeled and chopped)
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1 tablespoon ground cumin
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1 to 2 tablespoon chilli powder
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2 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano or 2 teaspoons dried
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1 teaspoon fennel seeds
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1 1/2 cups cooked White beans (1 15 ounce or 425 g can), drained and rinsed
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1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans (1 15 ounce or 425 g can), drained and rinsed
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Zest from one lemon
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3 tablespoon lemon juice
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1 teaspoon sugar (Use raw, beet or coconut sugar for the vegan version)
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1/3 Cup freshly chopped coriander (can substitute parsley if you have an aversion to cilantro)
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
method
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Fry the diced eggplant:
Preheat the oven to 175°C. Scatter aubergine cubes in a shallow frying pan and brush with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring once. Remove from the oven and set aside.
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Sweat onions, garlic, peppers:
While the eggplant is roasting, start with the remaining vegetables. In a large (5-6 quart) heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute longer.
Add the red bell pepper, zucchini, and jalapeño chilies. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Add tomatoes, spices, chili and roasted eggplant:
Add the tomatoes to the saucepan (if using cans) along with any liquid that may have been in the can. Add oregano, cumin and fennel seeds. Add chili powder to desired heat. Stir in the eggplant cubes (careful not to break them) and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
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Add beans, lemon, sugar, coriander, salt, pepper:
Add white beans and kidney beans, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and chopped cilantro. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.
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Serve with garnish:
Serve with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped green onions.
Links:
Vegetarian Chili with Smoked Spices by Sally Cameron
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 194 | calories |
| 8g | Fat |
| 27g | carbohydrates |
| 7g | protein |
