The Freshest Vegetarian Chili

This week I made the most delicious chili. A vegetarian chili, to be exact. In fact, if you don’t add in extras at the end like sour cream or cheese, then it’s a delicious and fresh vegan chili.

I’m not a big fan of meatless meats so this recipe uses rice for texture and lots of freshly chopped vegetables, tomatoes and beans.

I used canned beans for this recipe but you could certainly use dried beans. Just remember to soak them the night before and use about a cup of dried beans for each can called for here.

Same for tomatoes. I used canned simply because the fresh ones wouldn’t have been as flavorful or ripe this time of year.

I’d love to hear what you think once you give it a go!

THE FRESHEST VEGETARIAN CHILI

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves of garlic, diced

2 bell peppers (of varying color), diced

1 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 quart vegetable broth

1 28oz can of diced tomatoes

1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

3 14oz cans of beans - kidney, black, garbanzo, great northern - any will work!

2 6oz cans of diced chilis

1 cup rice, rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, sauté the garlic and onions in olive oil until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add the diced bell pepper, spices and 1 teaspoon of salt. Continue to cook 3-5 minutes more. Add vegetable broth, tomatoes, beans and rice. I like my chili thinner so I added about 2 cups of water as well. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add in the frozen corn and additional salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 20 minutes longer and serve with corn chips, lime wedges, avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro or anything else that sounds right!