Vegetable Chili – this recipe for meatless vegetable chili is hearty, spicy and full of beans and veggies. Make it truly vegetarian with a vegetable stock.
You know how many times I’ve said BeeBop is a real meat-and-potatoes man, right? Which is why I never in a million years would have thought that he’d go for this chili.
It’s vegetable chili. Not an ounce of meat in sight. Really. And, believe it or not, it’s one of his favorites!
This recipe originally came from an Oxmoor House cookbook titled The Low-Fat Way to Cook. Those folks at Oxmoor House have some really awesome publications. They’re the people that bring you Cooking Light, Southern Living and so many more cookbooks and magazines. So you know before you start that if a recipe comes from their presses it’s a winner.
This is another of those time-tested recipes that I fall back on over and over again. I don’t call it vegetarian chili because I do use beef stock in it, but you could substitute a vegetable stock if you really wanted to take it to that level. We don’t tend to do much meatless around here so we keep the beef stock. Do what you like I always say.
Vegetable Chili - this recipe for meatless vegetable chili is hearty, spicy and full of beans and veggies. Make it truly vegetarian with a vegetable stock. Click To Tweet
How to Make Vegetable Chili
Before you start, go ahead and get all your chopping and dicing and mincing done.
Here’s a little tip for you: see the small cutting board in the photo? That’s one I use only for onions, garlic and hot peppers. Keeps those flavors off the big all-purpose board so they don’t get into something like, for instance, a pie crust.
Place a large dutch oven or stock pot on medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, green bell pepper, carrots and garlic to the pan and sauté until crisp-tender.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, jalapeno and Tabasco.
Next add in the spices. And, don’t be afraid of adding cinnamon to your chili. I know most people associate the taste of cinnamon with sweets, but on its own cinnamon is quite savory. It really adds a little something-something in the background of your chili.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for approximately 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Ladle the chili into serving bowls and top with garnishes as desired. Suggested garnishes: Shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro and finely chopped green onion.
Makes about 9 cups of chili.
Enjoy!
More Chili Recipes on Never Enough Thyme:
- Black Bean Chili
- Chili Verde
- White Chicken Chili
- Not Texas Chili
- White Bean Turkey Chili
- Quick and Easy Chili
Chili Recipes from Other Bloggers:
- Homesick Texan’s Texas Chili
- Six different chili recipes on Simply Recipes
- Pierce Street Vegetarian Chili found on 101 Cookbooks
- A really interesting sounding Lamb Green Chili from No Recipes
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Vegetable Chili
No meat in this delicious chili! It's packed full of delicious and nutritious veggies.
Ingredients
- 2 tblsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 15-oz. can kidney beans, drained
- 1 15-oz. can pinto beans, drained
- 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 6-oz. can tomato paste
- 2 tblsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp hot sauce
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Place a large dutch oven or stock pot on medium-high heat.
- Add the olive oil, onion, green bell pepper, carrots and garlic to the pan and sauté until crisp-tender.
- Add the remaining ingredients.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for approximately 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Remove the bay leaf before serving.
- Ladle chili into serving bowls and top with garnishes as desired.
Notes
Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, cilantro and finely chopped green onion.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 418Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1669mgCarbohydrates: 67gFiber: 17gSugar: 23gProtein: 20g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritonix and may not always be perfectly accurate. Use your own judgment.
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Lana Stuart is the author, photographer, cook, and occasional traveler at Never Enough Thyme. A former IT professional, she enjoys time in the kitchen and the art studio.
marla says
Perfect, thanks Lana! Just added your link to todays post :)
Barbara @Modern Comfort Food says
I’m sure I’d be hounded out of Texas if I ever showed my face there, but I really prefer my chili with plenty of beans and vegetarian-style. Good for you and BeeBop too!
Teri says
This really does sound tasty & healthy.
I bet nobody would even miss the meat.
Lana says
You’re right, Teri. Actually the beans more than make up for the meat. And you could even add more beans if you wanted to.
Maria says
Perfect for fall! Love this recipe!
Joe Ann says
I’m eating healthy, so thank you for a wonderful recipe for chili. I’ve been eating more chicken and vegetable meals.
Lana says
Joe Ann – This is is quite healthy. It’s actually a recipe from way, way back when I used to follow a diabetic exchange based plan. A serving counts as 2 veg, 1 bread and 1 meat – if anyone still counts that way :-)
Drick says
great chili here, all the robust taste you need in a hardy bowl – one of my favorite chili is a meatless, bean base chili and you got it all going on here…
Jackie at Phamfatale.com says
Love a good ol’ spicy chili. I usually make the same version with the addition of soyrizo (tofu and TVP). It’s absolutely delicious!
Lana says
Can you believe I’ve never tried either tofu or TVP? When we want a meaty chili we just use the standard hamburger (sorry Texans). This is for days when we want something lighter :-)
Eileen says
What a perfect dish for these chilly days! I wish I had a bowl right now…
Lana says
Also perfect leftovers for the next day’s lunch. The flavors really deepen when they sit for a while.
Joy says
That looks great. I love chili.
Wenderly says
Yummy! LOVE chili, it warms my hear as well as my tummy! This looks great!
Lana says
Thanks, Wendy. It’s a nice change from the usual beef chili.