Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili

Yum


17 Comments
, , , , ,

This vegetarian (vegan, depending on the beer you use) chili has bold Southwestern flavors and is so heartwarming on a cold wintery night– Perfect by a roaring fire with your honey…but also wonderful for the whole family!  I like to use fresh grilled corn briefly roasted in a hot oven for this recipe. It gives the kernels that wonderful fire-roasted taste that adds a special touch but you can use canned (no added salt or sugar) or frozen corn if you’d like to cut on preparation time. I serve it with my deliciously moist Corn bread (or Vegan Corn bread if you prefer). It’s absolutely delightful!

Vegetarian-Chili-Recipe-Photo

5.0 from 4 reviews
Vegetarian Chili
 
Print
You can use canned corn if you'd like, but I prefer grilling fresh corn and roasting it briefly in a hot oven first. It gives the kernels that wonderful fire-roasted taste that adds so much to this chili. Here is how I proceed: Place non-stick grill pan on the stove on high heat and when very hot, drizzle with a little olive oil (no more that 1 Tbsp). Place the ears of corn on the hot grill pan and grill them for 10-12 minutes, turning each over every 2-3minutes so they are a little browned. Place the grilled corn on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven (400) for 10-12 more minutes. Let it cool, and using a sharp knife, cut the kernels (see photo at the bottom) right onto the baking sheet.
Author:
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tsp chili powder
  • 3 tsp cumin powder
  • 1½ tsp ground thyme
  • ½ tsp ground chipotle powder
  • ⅛ tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes (no added oil or sugar)
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 bottle (12oz) of dark beer of your choice
  • 3 large (l lb -13 oz) cans organic small red beans, rinsed well and drained
  • 1 large (1 lb- 13 oz) can organic black beans, rinsed well and drained
  • 4 fresh ears of corn, husked
  • 2-3 Tbsp stone ground corn meal (depending on how thick you like it)
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large cast iron dutch oven (I like Le Creuset but any heavy bottom deep pan will do) over high heat, add the garlic and onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes.
  2. Add the chili powder, ground cumin, thyme, chipotle, smoked paprika, salt and bay leaves and continue to sauté over medium heat for another 5 minutes.
  3. Add canned ground tomatoes, tomato paste,water, beer and bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue to simmer for just a few minutes.
  4. Add the drained beans to the pot and stir gently.
  5. Continue to simmer covered for another 25-30 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, grill your corn, if using fresh ears of corn as instructed above.
  7. Add the corn kernels to the chili (you can also use 1½ cups canned corn, drained--no added sugar or salt).
  8. Add the stone ground corn meal, one tablespoon at a time, stirring in between each addition so it doesn't clump and you achieve the thickness you like.
  9. Turn off the heat and keep covered until ready to serve.
  10. If you'd like it a little creamier, you can take out some of the beans to grind them briefly in a food processor and put them back into the soup or better yet, you can use a stick hand blender to blend the soup to desired creaminess right in the pot (see below).
  11. I like to let my chili “sit” before I serve it so that all the flavors blend even more together and the texture is nice and thick.
Smart-Stick-Hand-Blender

This is a great tool to make your soup creamier and there is no extra mess as you use right inside the pot–no transferring to the blender and no extra dishes!

corn kernels mediumcorn on grill medium

Tweet
Share
Pin5
Share1
+1
6 Shares

Comments

  1. I’m literally eating my vegetarian chili while I’m reading this! It is a very similar recipe, minus the beer…I’m definitely going to try adding that next time! 🙂

    Reply

  3. hello dear Catherine! let me tell you how much I appreciate your blog! it is fabulous,full of creativity, marvellous recipies!
    …. how much you take us with hand, step by step , to teach us the new recipe with such precision, details and patience.
    I love too your videos making in live in your kitchen, the recipies! you are so funny, natural, dancing and singing in the …kitchen, this way, you don’t need an umbrella as Gene Kelly!!
    Dear Mrs cuisinicity, have a very good day, merry christmas and …for you and your numerous followers and fans: I put a small link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVyTlCCGld8
    et …vive le vent d’hiver!! joyeuses fêtes to everyone! Thank you so much! martine de France

    Reply

    • OH MERCI MERCI Martine for your beautiful words, in English no less!!! They fill me with joy and keep me feeling like dancing in the kitchen!!! Thank you for the cute video, I LOVE IT and I am sure my Cuisinicity fans will get a kick (hahaha, pun intended!!) out of it! Bonne fetes a vous et a votre famille Martine de France!!! 🙂

      Reply

    • Greg, So nice to have you back in the kitchen too! I LOVE your wonderful feedback! WELCOME to your new home!

      Reply

  6. I’ve made several vegetarian chili recipes over the years. They all seemed a little lacking (of meat/flavor I suppose!). This recipie was really good. Best one I’ve found. I couldn’t find ears of corn during February, so I used frozen corn and roasted it by your directions instead. I used avacado as a garnish. This is a keeper.

    Reply

  7. Hahaha Julie, you are soooooo cute, I know EXACTLY what you mean!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE your comment!! Thank you so much, and if it’s any consolation for no hungry crowd to feed tonight…you made my day! Thank you!!!

    Reply

  8. I just made this recipe this afternoon and the pot of fresh chili is sitting there waiting for a hungry crowd. I couldn’t resist; I’ve been sampling it and it’s absolutely delicious. Thanks for this recipe Catherine! It’s a shame though, I just found out that no one is coming home for supper tonight! It’s like being all dolled up and no place to go! 🙂

    Reply

  10. Thanks so much for sharing.. Just a clarification..
    What is meant by ground tomatoes?
    Can’t wait to try this!
    Linda Vollers

    Reply

Trackbacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe: