Vegetarian Chili

There is something so comforting about chili; especially during the winter months when we are cold and longing for sunshine. It has always been one of my go-to dishes. It’s simple, quick and flavorful –and- you can make enough chili to feed 4, 8 or 12, and the amount of work is almost the same; so it’s the perfect dish for serving large groups of people too! I like to make big pots of chili so I leftovers; which means no cooking the next day and possibly some freezer meals. A huge bonus to my Vegetarian Chili Recipe: I am a vegetarian and this dish is hearty enough that I don’t feel the need to create a separate meal for my husband and children. There is a lot of protein in beans! This dish is one of my family’s all time favorite recipes. I love it! My husband loves it. My children love it!! It’s a win, win, win win! 🙂

I must note: I do not measure any of the ingredients. I just add whatever veggies and beans my heart desires to the pot, and I make sure that I season every layer (very important)! This recipe is very versatile. You can change it up many ways to make it your own.

Let’s get started with what I used:

1 red onion
2 zucchini
1 orange bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
1 green bell pepper

I used Light Red Kidney Beans, Great Northern Beans, and Garbanzo Beans. 1 can of each (drained and rinsed)

3 cans of Chili Ready Diced Tomatoes with Onions

Lets start preparing:

Coat the bottom of your stock pot with extra virgin olive oil.

Rough chop the onions and add to the pot of EVOO. Season with Salt & Pepper.
Cook the onions on low until transparent.

While the onions are cooking, rough chop the rest of the veggies.
Once the onions are transparent, add the remaining vegetables into the pan.
Season this layer with salt, pepper and cumin.
Let the veggies cook for about 5 minutes.

Once the veggies cook for 5 minutes, add 3 cans of Chili Ready diced tomatoes.
Add the entire can, juices and all. (If you like thick chili, you will probably want to drain the juices)
Season this layer with salt, pepper and cumin
Add all of the beans, drained and rinsed
Season this layer with salt, pepper and cumin
Give the entire pot a good stir
Bring chili to a boil and reduce heat to simmer
Cover the chili and let it simmer for about an hour

Ladle into a bowl and add whatever you prefer: hot sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream, oyster crackers etc.
I like to add shredded cheese, sour cream and a sprinkle of parsley for color