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vegetarian chili
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5 from 1 vote

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients

  • 1 cup dried kidney beans
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large onions diced
  • 2 large bell peppers chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried chillies
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 4 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 4 cups roasted tomatoes or 2 pounds fresh tomatoes
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup of cooked bean water

Instructions

  • Soak beans for approximately 8 hours. Cook in a pressure cooker, slow cooker or pot on the stove. Drain and reserve the liquid.
  • If using fresh tomatoes, in a perfect world, blanch and peel them. Bring a pot of water to a boil. On the bottom of each tomato, score an X. Boil the tomatoes for one minute, drain and immediately immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Peel and chop roughly.
  • Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
  • Add garlic and cook for a minute, stirring.
  • Add spices and cook for a minute, stirring.
  • Add mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes until the moisture is released.
  • For fresh tomatoes, add and cook until they’ve broken down a bit, about 5 minutes. For roasted tomatoes, add and move on to the next step.
  • Add the kidney beans, sweet potatoes, salt and just enough of the bean water to barely cover everything.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Notes

In the winter, I use tomatoes that I've roasted and frozen in glass jars. I cut small tomatoes into halves or quarters, arrange them on a cookie sheet and roast at 275 degrees F for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until they are softened and sweet. I then pack them in jars and freeze them. These replace any need for canned tomatoes.