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Three Bean Vegetarian Chili

by 18 Comments

Three Bean Veggie Chili

This is still on the stove and I’m not quite through fiddling with the seasonings so I won’t give you the exact recipe just yet. But it’s a simple one that I just threw together so you really don’t need an exact recipe!

Here’s what I’ve got so far: One chopped onion, one chopped bell pepper and a couple cloves of minced garlic sauteed in olive oil. To that I added one large can (28 oz) whole tomatoes and chopped them up with the spatula in the pot. Then added 2 cans kidney beans, one can pinto beans and one can of great northern beans (all of the drained and rinsed), some vegetable broth (that’s a lie, I used chicken broth but since I said it’s vegetarian, we’ll pretend it’s veggie broth!), and a small can of tomato paste. Then I started dumping in some chili powder (a couple of tablespoons at least), cumin (about a tablespoon or so), seasoned salt, sea salt and black pepper. I think that’s about it. It’s been simmering for a while and I just stirred in some frozen corn. After I finish writing this, I’ll adjust the seasonings a final time and turn off the stove.

We might eat a little of this tonight but I think it will taste better tomorrow. Tomorrow I plan on putting it in a baking dish, covering it with cornbread batter and baking it. I’ve never tried that before but several people mentioned it in during our cornbread discussion and I think it sounds really good! I think I might stir some grated sharp cheddar cheese into the cornbread batter before putting it on the chili. Tune in tomorrow to find out how it turned out.

Ciao for now!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Ruby says

    Slap a spoonful of this on a hotdog and you sold me! Haha, I guess that removes any vegetarian (beside the chicken/veggie broth)! LOL, looks yummy Nicole! :)
    Reply

  3. Terry B says

    Welcome back, Nicole! Ruby's comment reminds me of when we had a houseful of teens visiting, most of whom were vegetarian or even vegan. Marion made a vegan pasta and, as diners lined up with plates, asked if they wanted grated cheese on top. One beleaguered boy, who was neither vegan nor even vegetarian, said, "I want a hot dog on top." The next day, I took him to a great local hot dog stand.
    Reply

  5. Jule says

    How would you rate the spicey-ness factor of your chili? I am meek when it comes to spicy, but still want a little bite! Do tell us how the cornbread hotdish turns out, it sounds delish!
    Reply

  6. Nicole says

    Kathryn: Yes, I can't wait to eat it today! Ruby: These beans would definitely be good on a hot dog! Although I'm not really huge chili dog fan. I just like ketchup, mustard and relish. Sometimes horseradish if it's available :-) Terry B: Great story :-) Anali: I think it's going to be my lunch today! Jule: This really isn't too spicy at all but the chili powder I used is pretty mild. The only thing in this recipe that adds heat is the chili powder so you can just adjust the amount to your own liking!
    Reply

  8. Jacob says

    That sounds really good. I'm actually having veggie chili tonight. It's kinda similar– one thing I do is, between the sauteed garlic/onions and the rest, add in 2 diced carrots and a cup of commercial salsa.
    Reply

  9. Nicole says

    Jason: I know! Any new additions to your collection? Jacob: I've tried carrots before and I think they are a great addition to chili but I've never tried adding salsa! I'll definitely keep that in mind next time around!
    Reply

  10. Steff says

    That looks scrumptious! I noticed you rinsed the beans - do you always? Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. Thanks for clarifying rather or not the beans should be rinsed/drained. I just love your site. Do you make weekly menus or just figure something out with what you have on hand? In the last three weeks you have made it to my weekly menus. :-0
    Reply

  11. Nicole says

    Steff: Well, sometimes I rinse them and sometimes I don't. And actually, I threw one of the cans in without rinsing. You could use the liquid from the canned beans in this recipe and just use less broth and add less salt. I sometimes try to make weekly menus but I usually don't stick to the plan! I think it would be different if I had a family but since my husband in the military, half the time I'm just cooking for myself anyway :-)
    Reply

  14. Carolyn says

    Hey I am trying your recipe, but you do not mention the amount of veggie or chicken broth that you are using. Also you never talk about how long to cook this chili. You need to more informative.
    Reply

  16. Megan says

    I love this blog. I discovered you over 3 years ago and I have gotten countless awesome recipes that I keep in my rotation. I love the freedom that this recipe gives. I don't do canned beans, only dry. I have a method of cooking them that only takes about an hour without soaking them so it doesn't even take much more time than using canned... the bean cooking time just gives me time to prep or make cornbread or a salad. I use about 2 cups of veggie broth, a whole bag of frozen corn, and I also add a bag of morningstar farms veggie crumbles. It's like fake ground beef. I add the crumbles about 15-30 minutes before I'm ready to eat. I often let this sit in my crock pot after I've gotten it all together so that I can go to a movie or something. Thank you so much for your blog. I really appreciate your potato leek soup. So much so that I gave an entire presentation on it for a business communications class right down to a pie chart with the calorie distribution for carbs/fat/protein. Although my findings were a little starling, I got an A. :)
    Reply

    • Nicole says

      Thanks so much for your nice comment, Megan! I've been using more dried beans than canned lately... it's cheaper and the flavor/texture of home-cooked beans are great. But I do still keep a variety of canned beans on the shelf for times when I want to open a can and go :-)
      Reply

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