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Vegetarian Chili

The smoky, complex flavor of this simple vegetarian chili comes from basic pantry ingredients, vegetables and spices! It makes great leftovers, too. This chili recipe is gluten free as written (just be sure your garnishes are also gluten free), and vegan (unless you top it with dairy products like sour cream or cheese).

Course: Main Course, Soup

Keyword: chili, vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Cookie and Kate

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion chopped
1 large red bell pepper chopped
2 medium carrots chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt divided
4 cloves garlic pressed or minced
2 tablespoons chili powder*
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika*
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 large can 28 ounces or 2 small cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes**, with their juices
2 cans 15 ounces each black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can 15 ounces pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro plus more for garnishing
1 to 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar or lime juice to taste
Garnishes: chopped cilantro sliced avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream or crème fraîche, grated cheddar cheese, etc.

Instructions

In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir to combine and then cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, the drained black beans and pinto beans, vegetable broth and bay leaf. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, for 30 minutes. Remove the chili from heat.
For the best texture and flavor, transfer 1 ½ cups of the chili to a blender and blend until smooth, then pour the blended mixture back into the pot. (Or, you can blend the chili briefly with an immersion blender, or mash the chili with a potato masher until it reaches a thicker, more chili-like consistency.)
Add the chopped cilantro, stir to blend, and then mix in the vinegar, to taste. Add salt to taste, too—I added ¼ teaspoon more at this point. Divide the mixture into individual bowls and serve with garnishes of your choice. This chili will keep well in the refrigerator for about 4 days (I haven’t tried, but I bet it would freeze well, too).

Notes

I omitted the chili powder and smoked paprika and used 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder instead. I also added 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Vegetarian Chili