Dried Beans
Dried Black Beans - 3:1 cup, 1 tsp salt - Instapot 30 minpressure, 10-15 min release Optional: half an onion not cut
Dried Kidney Beans - 3.5:1 cup, 1 tsp salt - Instapot 40 min, 10 min release
Homemade Vegetarian Chili (8 to 12 servings)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 medium (red) onion, chopped
- 2 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 medium carrots, chopped
- 4 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 8 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 4 tablespoon chili powder*
- 4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 teaspoon smoked paprika*
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 bay leaf
- 2 large can (56 ounce) or 2 small cans (30 ounce each) dicedtomatoes**, with their juices
- 4 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 can (15 ounces) pinto/kidney beans, rinsedand drained
- 4 cup vegetable broth or water
- 4 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnishing
- 2 to 4 teaspoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar or lime juice, to taste
- Garnishes: chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, crème fraîche, greek yogurt, grated cheddar cheese, etc.
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat -- instapot -- warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, carrot, celery and ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onion is translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes.
- Add thegarlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, the drained black beans and pinto beans, vegetable broth and bay leaf. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a simmer.Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary tomaintain a gentle simmer, for 30 minutes.
- Remove the chili from the heat and discard the bay leaf. For the best texture and flavor, transfer 1 ½ cups of the chili to a blender, making sure to get some of the liquid portion. Securely fasten the lid and blend until smooth (watch out for hot steam), then pour the blended mixture back into the pot. (Or, you can blend the chili briefly with an immersion blender, or mash the chili with apotato masher until it reaches a thicker, more chili-like consistency.)
- Add the chopped cilantro, stir to combine, and then mix in the vinegar, to taste. Add salt to taste, too—I added ¼ teaspoon more at this point. Divide the mixture into individual bowls and serve with garnishes of your choice. This chili will keep well in the refrigerator for about 4 days or you can freeze it for longer-term storage.
Notes
Recipes consulted during the making of https://cookieandkate.com/vegetarian-chili-recipe/print/23997/">this recipe: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016032-vegetarian-chili-with-winter-vegetables" target="_blank">vegetarian chili with winter vegetables (The New York Times), http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Vegetarian-Chili" target="_blank">vegetarian chili (Saveur) and http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/winter-vegetable-chili" target="_blank">winter vegetable chili (Food and Wine).If you love this recipe: You’ll also love my
https://cookieandkate.com/2012/butternut-squash-chipotle-chili-with-avocado/">
butternut squash chipotle chili and
https://cookieandkate.com/2011/sweet-potato-chili-recipe/">
sweet potato chili. You might also enjoy my
https://cookieandkate.com/2015/vegan-lentil-soup-recipe/">
hearty lentil soup and
https://cookieandkate.com/2016/spicy-vegan-black-bean-soup/">
black bean soup.
*Spice note: If you are sensitive to spice or using particularly potent spices (I hear that chili powder purchased outside of the U.S. can be very hot), you might want to scale back on the spice here. Startwith half of the amounts listed and add more to taste. That said, I enjoyspicy food and found this chili to be well-balanced as written.
**Canned tomatoes note: I recommend Muir Glen brand—they have the best flavor and their cans are BPA-free!
