This recipe was originally published over 10 years ago, but I still make it all the time and have given the photos a makeover!
We are a football-watching family. On any given Sunday during the season, we are hunkered down for a good part of the day at home with the likely chance of random family and friends dropping by. I like to prepare hearty, comfort food that can be left on the stove for everyone to help themselves whenever hunger strikes.
I know many people think that it “never rains in Southern California,” but I assure you that is a myth. I’m not complaining, because we need the rain, but this has been a particularly rainy season. Today is a chilly and damp Sunday and the rain started early. Perfect weather for vegetable chili!
This recipe is completely vegan and no one has ever asked me, “where’s the beef?” This is a flavorful stew with lots of warming spices (but not spicy) to fuel your internal fire and keep you feeling toasty. I like to cook big batches of beans from scratch and freeze them for later use, but you can certainly use canned here. My favorite brand is Eden, one of the only companies NOT to use BPA in its cans. Hooray! They also cook their beans like I do, with kombu, a sea vegetable which adds extra minerals and alkalinity to the beans. You can use all the same kind of bean or mix and match. My favorites to use here are kidney, pinto and black beans all of which are top of the class in antioxidants.
To make a complete protein, serve this over cooked brown rice, millet or quinoa. Lastly, I set out bowls of chopped avocado, lime wedges, and a terrific raw cheddar cheese I found at the farmer’s market and brought home and shredded. If the kids will eat more of this with a few tortilla chips dunked in, I say let them go for it.
If you make this recipe or any of my recipes, please tag me on Instagram so I can see your beautiful creations @pamelasalzman #pamelasalzman!
You can shop the tools I used for this recipe by clicking on the images below:
Vegetable Chili
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 sweet bell pepper, red, orange or yellow, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 bunch Swiss chard, stems diced and leaves cut into 1-inch pieces, about 5 cups
- 1/2 jalapeno, chili, seeded (leave the seeds in to make it hotter) and minced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 29 ounces of whole plum tomatoes, crushed and keep the juice or 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 cups or 3, 15-ounce cans cooked beans (such as red kidney, pinto or black), drained and rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock
- 2-3 teaspoons sea salt, I use 3 teaspoons
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish (optional)
- Garnishes: cubed avocado, lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, bell pepper, chard stems, jalapeno and garlic, and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add oregano, cumin and chili powder and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes with the juice, bay leaf, beans, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. (even 45 minutes is fine)
- Discard the bay leaf. Add the Swiss chard leaves and cook, uncovered, until mixture has thickened slightly, about 20 minutes. Stir in chopped cilantro. Serve with cooked brown rice, millet or quinoa.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
I shared this link with Healthy Child Healthy World!
I love this recipe!!! I made it earlier in the week and decided it was so yummy I simply had to make it again.
Nice! It also taste great after a few days in the fridge. I’m making it Sunday for football-watching. Go Giants!
Both my kids loved it. I told them it was a Pamela recipe. My six year old said “I don’t know who Pamela is but she sure is a good cooker. Her husband and kids are really lucky.”
Haha! Adorable!
It’s the bomb, I recommend any chili-crazed cook try it. I’m a sucker for good chili and order it all over the country whenever I get a chance collecting recipes and favorite spots. I decided to try this one evening and was missing 3 ingredients (2 vegetables and 1 spice) – and BAMMM, it was awesome! Since then, I’ve made it 5 times, the proper way, and can’t wait to make it a 6th time.
What an endorsement! Thank you.
This chili is now my favorite comfort food. It was delicious and I didn’t even miss the meat! It is also a great way to get more veggies! Excellent!!!
I totally agree — I don’t miss the meat one bit.
This chili is great and so healthy! Thanks for helping me get out of my cooking rut!
Although my husband and I are not chili fans, I decided to
try this one because we love veggies. It was outstanding!
The flavors really “pop,” and the toppings are great
complements.
I made this recipe while we were getting 20 inches of snow here in NY! It couldn’t have been more perfect to warm us up. The next day I had it for lunch and it was even more delicious. The swiss chard is a wonderfully mild complement to the spiciness of the chili. The avocado is a great topping. This dish is definitely a wintertime staple for us!
This is my go to meal when the kids have a crazy schedule. I prepare all the ingredients in the morning when they go to school and cook after pick up. It sits on the stove with fixings in the fridge and everyone serves themselves between activities and me carpooling. Brilliant and delicious.
You’re a genius. It’s also awesome the next day.
Fantastic chili! The entire family (including three young kids) devoured this … and my three year old just asked to have it again for breakfast!
I hope you let him! Nothing wrong with veggie chili for breakfast.