Soulful Vegetarian Chili
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
Get the Recipe: Soulful Vegetarian Chili
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
- 1 1/2 t. seasoning salt
- 1 1/2 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!
Notes
Taste and add more seasonings if desired! Just don't go too crazy with the seasonings if you plan on having leftovers because the flavors will really intensify overnight.
I made this while my boyfriend’s Mom and her friend was in town and we all loved! loved! loved! IT!! Oh, it was sooo good! Everyone went back for seconds..thirds! There was only 4 of us and we tore this one pot up!! oh so good =) Thanks for sharing!
I made this recipe last night. I made a few changes, I did not add all those beans and I did not use stewed tomatoes, and some of the seasonings It was delicious. I really enjoyed and so did my family. Thank you and it was hearty.
Made this recipe last week and my husband and I loved it, even our 3yr old son.
Yes, I would love more vegetarian main dishes. So good! 🙂
Ok, so today was our Annual Chili Cookoff at work, and guess who won 1st place? Ok, Ok, I wont keep you in suspense…IT WAS ME! Monique, girrrrrrl, this Chili is thabomb.com. No one believed me when I told them it was all veggies. I’ve never made chili before so this was a stretch, as a matter of fact, I’m not too fond of it actually, I believe my father made it EVERY DAY in the winter time when I was a kid so when I was old enough to make my own choices concerning dinner, when Chili was on the menu, I politely declined. Everyone was asking me for the recipe so I had to share this site (I shouted you out in my acceptance speech). I did tweak it a bit to match it as much as I could to daddies. So from one diva to another, thanks again!
Yayyy!!! Congrats!!!!!! I wish I had some of that chili right now!!
Hey Monique, I tried this for my Daniel fast minus the liquid smoke and the Morning Crumbles. This is great I love this recipe it is so so flavorful. Thanks for all the recipes, will be making the Turkey Burgers for lunch today and will be back to post. And hey Monique don’t forget to give me or ur subbies info on how to get an actual book copy of ur cook books. God Bless You and the Family 🙂