Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili
I love vegetables, and sometimes I am in the mood for a vegetarian dish. A few days ago, I was reading my current issue of Cooking Light Magazine (January 2010) and came across a recipe for vegetarian chili. I love to make chili during the winter months, and this recipe has a lot of my favorite things in it: butternut squash, red peppers, chicken broth, cannellini beans, and kidney beans. The combination of these ingredients (plus a few key spices) resulted in a very flavorful, delicious, and filling dish. Technically speaking, this chili wasn’t vegetarian since I substituted chicken broth for vegetable broth, but I just love the flavor of chicken broth. And, I always have chicken broth in my pantry because I buy it in bulk at Costco.
One of the best things about this chili recipe is that each 1 ½ cup serving is only 264 calories!! Another benefit is that many of the ingredients were things I already had on hand (chicken broth, diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, kidney beans, garlic, onion, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes), so it was very economical as well- the only things I had to pick up at the grocery store were squash, pinto beans, and red peppers.
The recipe calls for chopped scallions as a topping, but I decided to leave them out because I didn’t think it was necessary. But if you are making this for other people, the scallions might be a nice touch to give the chili a pop of color and a little extra crunch on top. Next time I’m also going to serve it with grated cheddar cheese on the side, because I think cheese would be a great topping as well! This recipe is definitely a keeper and I can’t wait to make it again!
Adapted from: Cooking Light Magazine (Jan. 2010)
Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili
Ingredients:
- 3 red bell peppers, roasted & chopped
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cups (½ inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
- 1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained (or two 14-ounce cans)
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Directions:
- Roast the red peppers, then dice them.
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in cumin, crushed red pepper, paprika, salt, and garlic. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add bell peppers, broth, squash, and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add beans; simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.
- Sprinkle with green onions or cheddar cheese, if desired.
Serves: 6 (1 ½ cups chili each)
The combination of cannellini beans, pinto beans, & kidney beans provides lots of flavor.
Step 4: Add the bell peppers, broth, squash, & tomatoes to the pan and simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 5: Add the beans and simmer 25 minutes.
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