On a cold winter’s day, there is almost nothing better than a hearty bowl of soup or chili. Pair that with a fresh loaf of homemade vegan bread and you are all set! A few years ago, I stumbled upon a plant-based recipe for vegan chili and this is the only chili recipe I ever make for my household of three boys. It’s easy, it’s fast and it tastes great. I would say that my 11 year old has only just begun to enjoy spicy foods this past year, so it may not be for everyone, but the good thing about making your own chili is that you are able to adjust the spice level as needed.
I found this chili recipe on Pinterest. Click here to go to the site or keep reading to see my story about how I make this amazingly tasty plant-based chili. I hope you like beans because there are a lot of beans in this recipe! Lol
Like many of my recipes, I like to prepare all of my ingredients first so that they are ready as I go along cooking it. I start with the onions, chopping them up in a fairly good size so I have substance when chewing them. I do the same with the red or yellow bell peppers. This is not a recipe that requires you to mince any of the ingredients. Then I portion out all of my spices as needed, usually combining them into one small glass bowl. They all get added at the same time. Then I drain and rinse one can of three types of beans each and put them into a large bowl. The beans all get added at the same time as well, so no need to separate. Next, I open all the cans (i.e. canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste) and keep them ready to be added. Portion out the frozen corn and set it aside. Prepping all of your ingredients, I think makes things so much easier when you’re following a recipe and less stressful. Trust me, I’ve learned a few times myself that when it says to add that grated lemon zest at the exact moment, you don’t have time to whip out your grater and start grating away lol.
Okay, so here’s the chili recipe. It seriously does not take long at all to make, so give this a try. You won’t be disappointed.
Vegan Chili
(Makes 6 servings)
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions (I use white), chopped
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder (spice blend not red chili powder or cayenne)
- 1 ½ cups each of cooked kidney, black and garbanzo beans (or 1 (15 oz.)can of each – drained and rinsed, discard the fluid)
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 28 oz can crushed tomato (I used diced tomatoes)
- 8 oz tomato sauce (I use 10 oz)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup or sugar
Directions:
- Sauté onions in olive oil until tender.
- Add spices and cook additional 1-2 minutes.
- Add tomato paste and stir for 1 minute.
- Add remaining ingredients and heat, covered, over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
Enjoy this hearty chili on a cold winter’s day. If you’d like to see more hearty meals, leave a comment and please subscribe to my mailing list so you will be sure to receive weekly updates. Thank you!
