Vegetarian chili that is full of soulful flavor and hearty enough to stick to your bones??? Say it aint so!!!!
I’ll admit vegetarian chili didn’t sound that appealing to me at first. I guess I’m just not a real veggie lover (although I’m trying to be) I’m a meat & potatoes, (cakes, cookies, ice cream, pies, candy,) kinda girl and it just seemed like a cruel thing to do to chili…you know, adding all those vegetables and stuff.
My oldest sister, who is a vegetarian, has been telling me how fabulous her vegetarian chili recipe is for the longest. Even though she is one of those “healthy people” I trust her when she tells me something vegetarian tastes good. She was raised on my mothers and grandmothers soulful cooking and knows how to doctor up those vegetarian dishes like a seasoned pro.
Since so many of us are trying to watch our weight this time of year, I figured you would appreciate a hearty, savory, yet healthy dish to add to your recipe collection. (you can thank for my sister Nikki, although I did tweak this recipe a bit from the original)
This vegetarian chili recipe does not disappoint! It’s hearty, mild enough for my toddler, yet my spicy, meat- chili-loving husband gave it 5 stars! I found myself eating my second bowl without even noticing it.
It’s loaded with fresh vegetables like zucchini, peppers and corn, three kinds of beans, and a perfect blend of savory spices! This vegetarian chili can easily be customized with your favorite veggies or kick up the heat to your liking.
Serve it up with a hunky square of buttermilk cornbread and a crunchy green salad..magnificent…and healthy to boot!!
Watch me make this vegetarian chili recipe from start to finish
The Recipe
Soulful Vegetarian Chili
By Divas Can Cook
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 sweet red pepper, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 jalepeno, seeded and diced (optional but so yummy)
- 3 Tablespoons of oil (for sautéing)
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn
- 1 (12 oz) bag Morning Star Meal Starters (grillers veggie crumbles) 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 oz) can whole Italian Stewed Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 (15 oz) can Tomato sauce
- 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed & drained
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained
- 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 T. chili powder
- 3 T celery flakes (or fresh celery)
- 1½ t. seasoning salt
- 1½ t. ground cumin
- 1 t. paprika
- 1 T. oregano
- 1 T. cilantro
- 2 t. sugar
- 1 T. parsley
- 2 t. thyme
- 1 T. basil (optional)
- A few dashes of black pepper (optional)
- A few dashes of liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
- ) Heat olive oil in a large pot.
- ) Add in the vegetable crumbles. and chopped veggies.
- ) Sauté on medium heat until the bell peppers are nice and tender.
- ) Add the corn and cook for another minute.
- ) Add the diced tomatoes, chopped Italian Stewed Tomatoes and tomato sauce.
- ) Stir in the drained beans.
- ) Stir until everything is combined.
- ) Add in the spices.
- ) Stir to combine.
- )Cover and bring to a boil.
- ) Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- )Serve and enjoy!
this is great how do I do this for 100 people
Giiiirrrrl let me tell you about this chili! SOOOO GOOD! Trying to change my eating habits and eat food that tastes good and are good for you. I like celery and carrots but im not a rabbit lol I need some substance and this did it. I`ll be making this frequently. My Mom and Dad loved it and they don`t do vegetarian anything lol!
I give this 5 stars!! OMG soooo good. Little kid, toddler, pre-teen, teen and meat eating hubby approved. Thanks Diva!
This is a good base chili recipe especially for kids. I didn’t make mine vegetarian however I did use everything except for the Veggie crumbles, zucchini and garbanzo beans. Instead of those items I replaced with ground turkey and basically made it just as recipe stated with the specified measured spices and my family just loves it specially with cornbread. Thanks!
This is delicious!!! I made it almost exactly the same but left out thyme and added chili black beans!!!! My fiance and daughter loved it!!
I love this recipe!!! I make it all the time and I swear I can eat the whole pot by myself!!! It’s so hard to only have one bowl!!! Diva do you think you could do a gumbo recipe?
Just made this recipe. Substituted the morning star meal starters with Tempeh, but kept everything else the same. Came out great! Lots of flavor, very hearty and filling. Thanks!