Vegetarian Chili

By on 30 January 2012 in Main Courses, Soups with 16 Comments.

Chili is one of those things that’s easy to make, but hard to perfect. Especially vegetarian chili – we’ve tried many variations, but often they end up just tasting like bean soup. We’ve even tried secret ingredients like beer and cocoa powder, but haven’t met with much success. They’ve been tasty, but not quite right.

The combination of a reader request and the upcoming Super Bowl prompted us to try another attempt. We’d done enough research that we knew some of what we wanted – bulgur wheat for some texture, green chiles (or jalapeños) for some spice and flavor, and amped up the chili powder. Once we combined everything, we used a bit of chipotle powder to add a bit of complexity, and it made for the perfect touch!

All that experimentation finally paid off, and we think we’ve come up with a vegetarian chili that’s hearty and not just “bean soup”. Give it a try for a casual evening with friends, or an upcoming big game!

If you’re an Indy local, Fields of Agape is a producer of local organic black and pinto beans. Check them out for a local source of the beans in this recipe (but make sure to cook them beforehand)! Our original post about Fields of Agape is here.

Vegetarian Chili

Serves about 8

Notes: The bulgur wheat adds a great texture here – you can also substitute quinoa for a gluten-free option if desired. The chipotle powder is a bit of a hard to find, but it adds great complexity and flavor!  We recommend using it if at all possible. Ancho chile powder also can add a nice bit of smokiness. Lastly, if 1/2 cup chili powder seems like a typo – it’s not! While it’s a lot to use, it did bring the flavor we were looking for to the dish. Feel free to scale back if you’d like. The resulting chili is not overly spicy (though it might be if you use spicy chili powder, jalapeños, or more chipotle powder than specified below); we like going for moderate spice and then giving diners the option to add spiciness at the table with hot sauce.

What You Need

3 15-ounce cans beans OR 4 1/2 cups cooked dried beans – we used black, pinto, and kidney
2 32-ounce cans diced tomatoes 
2 4-ounce cans roasted green chiles (or jalapeños, for extra spice)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions
6 cloves garlic
1 cup bulgur wheat
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup chili powder
3 tablespoons oregano
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon honey (or sugar)
1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder (highly encouraged for extra flavor! Add more to taste)

To serve: Hot sauce, sour cream, cheese, cilantro or chives

What To Do

1  Chop the two onions. Dice six cloves garlic.

2  In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions and saute until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and saute, stirring, for about 1 minute.

3  Add the rest of the ingredients: beans, tomatoes (with their juices), green chiles (or jalapenos), 1 cup bulgur wheat, 1 cup frozen corn, 1/2 cup chili powder, 3 tablespoons oregano, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1/8 teaspoon chipotle powder. Mix to combine. If necessary, add a bit of water to make sure everything is covered (we added about 1 cup).

4  Bring to a boil, then simmer until the bulgur is soft, about 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and add additional seasonings as desired. Add hot sauce to taste; serve with sour cream, shredded cheese, and cilantro or chives.

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