The Very BEST Vegetarian Chili
Before switching to a mostly vegetarian diet, my mom’s chili was always my favorite food. It’s the ultimate comfort food, especially since she served hers over noodles! YUM. I’ll still eat her chili on occasion, but I wanted to find a good vegetarian substitute. It took a lot of trial and error, but I finally found the very best vegetarian chili that will satisfy even a carnivore’s appetite.
The one thing that makes this chili stand out is the texture. I had tried so many vegetarian chilis that reminded me more of a soup or a goulash. Think chunky vegetables in a watery broth. I was craving the thick texture of a beef chili…minus the beef. It turns out that the key to achieving this texture is using a food processor to chop the veggies. Seriously, I’m never going back. 1. It’s stupid easy to chop tons of vegetables in a short time. 2. The food processor chops them more finely than I could with a knife. You NEED a food processor! I got this one for Christmas last year and it has been great.
Once you have all your veggies chopped, this chili comes together very quickly. And it makes enough to feed a crowd (or just you, all week. And maybe some of next week too). Do I have your attention yet? Good. Scroll down for the very best vegetarian chili recipe. And if you have a favorite chili recipe, I’d love to try it. Send me your recipe link in the contact page!
The Best Vegetarian Chili
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 yellow onions chopped
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 2 green peppers chopped
- 3 cups mushrooms diced
- 1/2 acorn squash (optional)
- 1 tsp cumin
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 12 oz tomato sauce
- 2 cup water
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 15 oz kidney beans
- 15 oz black beans
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot and add chopped onion. When the onion is almost cooked through, add garlic.
- Chop carrots, celery, green onion, and squash. I like to use a food processor for this step. It makes it SO easy. Add these veggies to the pot and cook about 5 minutes.
- Use a food processor to chop the mushrooms and add these to the pot.
- Add all spices to the vegetable mix and stir, cooking another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the wine and worcestershire sauce to the pot. Cook 1 minute.
- Pour in the remaining ingredients (crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, hot sauce, and beans) and bring to boil.
- Lower heat to simmer and cook about 15 minutes uncovered.
- Serve your chili with toppings of your choice. I like avocado and cheddar. ENJOY!
