A healthy and homemade Easy Stovetop Chili Recipe. It's a savory, meatless chili with hearty ingredients. It's made all in one pot and is perfect for those cooler Fall and Winter days.
The cooler temperatures in the fall and winter also bring a need for comfort food. I don't know about you but when the temperatures drop, for me that means it's time to break out the soups, stews and definitely this easy stovetop chili recipe. It's a vegan take on a classic chili recipe.. Who says just because you don't eat meat, that you can't make a delicious vegan bean stovetop chili recipe. If you're looking for quick and easy winter comfort food that the whole family will love, this is a great option for you.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This vegetarian chili recipe is quick and easy and has just the perfect bean-to-veggie ratio, leaving you with a warming and hearty bowl of chili, packed with nutrients, fiber, and protein. Everything goes into one pot which means less mess and dishes to clean. It's a simple recipe and it's perfect for an easy weeknight meal. Vegan chili recipes are so good, you won't even miss not having any meat! You can also use the leftovers the next day to make my Leftover Chili Stuffed Peppers recipe.
Equipment You'll Need
- Large pot - this is a one pot recipe. That means less dishes and clean up required
- Large Spoon - to stir all of the ingredients with
- Measuring Utensils - you'll need to measure the seasonings for the chili
Types of Beans for Chili
I've found that the best kind of beans for this recipe are:
- Kidney Beans - typically red or dark red. It's named for its resemblance to the shape of a kidney.
- Great Northern Beans - a large off-white bean with a mild flavor and a slightly grainy texture and shaped much like the kidney bean.
- Black Beans - one popular bean, made for a side dish for a variety of meals. They're a good source of proteins and fiber with a low glycemic index.
Ingredients You'll Need
This one pot easy chili recipe only requires a few ingredients. Here is what you'll need:
- Onions and garlic - for adding more seasoning and flavoring into the chili. I prefer to use yellow onion but a white onion will work as well. .
- Bell peppers - I like to use a mix of red, yellow and green pepper but if you prefer to choose just one large bell pepper for this recipe, that will work as well.
- Vegetable broth - you can also use your favorite broth like chicken broth
- Tomatoes - canned tomato sauce and diced tomatoes are used in this recipe to give the vegan bean chili delicious tomato flavor and texture.
- Beans - you'll need kidney beans, great northern beans and black beans for this chili. If you want to make a smaller pot of chili, you can use 2 different beans instead of 3. For bonus flavor, you can opt to use canned chili beans.
- Seasonings - some of the seasonings used are cocoa powder, chili powder, paprika powder, oregano, cayenne powder, sea salt and ground black pepper. You could also use your own chili seasoning if you prefer.
How to Cook the Three Bean Chili Recipe:
This one pot chili recipe is made on the stove top in 30 minutes. It's an easy recipe to make, here's how:
- Saute the diced onions, green bell pepper and garlic in olive oil, stirring frequently.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients, the vegetable broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, kidney beans, great northern beans, black beans along with the cocoa powder, chili powder, paprika powder, oregano, cayenne powder, sea salt and ground black pepper. Bring the pot to a generous boil, on medium-high heat, stirring all the ingredients together.
- Simmer the chili in the pot over medium-low heat and cook for at least 30 minutes. The longer the chili cooks, the more depth of flavor it will have.
- Serve once you're ready to eat. Take it off of the heat and garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Vegetarian Chili Toppings
The best part of this homemade chili recipe is the toppings! If you're following a Vegan diet, be sure to choose vegan/dairy free toppings. Here are some of my favorite chili toppings:
- Tortilla chips - these are perfect to add a little crunch to each bite. You can add in the tortilla strips, usually found near the salad dressings in the grocery store or you can break your favorite chip into pieces over the top of the chili.
- Diced avocado - I love diced avocado on my chili. The cool, smooth texture in the hot chili is the perfect combination.
- Green onions - great for flavoring. You can sprinkle some on top of the chili as a garnish.
- Jalapenos - adds an extra spicy flavor to the dish. For a little less heat you can remove the seeds from the jalapeno peppers before adding them into your chili
- Dairy-free cheese - or you can use regular dairy shredded cheddar cheese
- Vegan sour cream - or if you prefer dairy sour cream you can use that as well.
What to Serve with the Three Bean Chili
- Rice - chili is great to serve over white rice. For a healthier option you can also serve the chili over brown rice.
- Cornbread - I love to have a buttery piece of cornbread on the side. It's actually my favorite combination.
- Tortilla Chips - instead of serving the tortilla chip on top of your chili, you can serve them on the side. You can scoop up the chili with a tortilla chip to eat it instead of using a spoon.
Storage and Reheat
- Storage - Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Reheating - Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, or until warmed through. Then add your favorite toppings. You can also use the leftovers for my Leftover Chili Stuffed Peppers recipe.
- Freezing - After cooking, let the three bean chili cool before transferring it to a freezer-safe container. When you're ready to reheat it, simply remove it from the freezer, the night before, and let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Most Asked Questions
- How long can chili cook on the stove?
- The vegetarian chili recipe takes about 30 minutes to cook before it's ready to serve, although I have let the chili cook for up to 1 hour.
- Does chili taste better the longer you simmer it?
- Absolutely! The longer the chili cooks, the flavors have more time to develop and the better the chili will taste. If time is on your side, let your chili cook for as long as possible. Make sure to keep the lid on the pot to prevent excess liquid from escaping.
- How do you get thick chili?
- If you like your chili a little on the thicker side, you can remove the lid and let it simmer the last 10 minutes of cooking the chili to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
- Can I use black beans instead of kidney beans in chili?
- You can easily substitute the red kidney beans for the black beans in the recipe by simply doubling the ratio of black beans.
- Do you drain black beans for chili?
- I prefer to drain and rinse any canned beans that I use in a recipe. Sometimes the liquid in canned beans has an odd flavor. I'd rather be more in control of how much sodium and flavor that's in the dish.
- What to add to chili to make it spicy?
- If you want to turn up the spice level of your chili, try adding ½ to 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper powder or you can slice fresh jalapenos and serve it as a topping on the chili.
- What are some secret ingredients for chili?
- Cocoa Powder! You don't need much of it either. This recipe uses only 1 tablespoon to help balance out the spices in the chili.
More Recipes You May Like:
Leftover Chili Stuffed Peppers
Vegetable Pot Pie with Biscuits
Easy Stovetop Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion medium, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper medium, diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1- 15 ounce tomato sauce canned
- 1- 15 ounce diced tomatoes canned
- 1- 15 ounce red kidney beans drained and rinsed, or chili beans
- 1- 15 ounce great northern beans drained and rinsed, or chili beans
- 1- 15 ounce black beans drained and rinsed, or chili beans
- 1 tablespoon cocoa Powder
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chili Powder or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add in the oil. Once the oil is warmed, add in the onion and green bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add in the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently and being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients increase heat, and bring to a generous boil, stirring all the ingredients together.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes. The longer the chili cooks, the more flavor it will have. So, if you've got the time, let it very gently simmer on the stove for an hour. (If you cook it for an hour, you may need to add in just a bit more broth or water)
- Once ready to eat, take off of the heat and garnish with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Although HalfPastHungry.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on which products you use, the brand that was purchased, or in other unforeseeable ways. HalfPastHungry.com will not be held liable for any reliance on given nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your physician first.
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