Vegetarian Chili
Feel free to add other vegetables that need to be used up: diced butternut squash or sweet potato, riced cauliflower, yellow squash, leek or a handful of spinach greens would all work well. For every additional cup of vegetables, add a half cup of stock or water before you simmer the soup.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 red yellow or white onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 1 red yellow or orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 large can 28 ounces or 2 small cans (15 ounces each) diced tomatoes with their juices
- 1 15- ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15- ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15- ounce can kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 1 cup vegetable broth chicken broth or water
- 1 bay leaf
- Lime juice to taste
- Optional garnishes and toppings: Cilantro sliced avocado, tortilla chips, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, grated jack or cheddar cheese, hot sauce.
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven, warm the oil over medium heat. Once the oil is preheated, add the onion and sauté. Add a sprinkling of kosher salt. Add the garlic, peppers, zucchini, carrots and celery. Sauté, sprinkling with salt and pepper, while they cook. Add the chili powder and stir until fragrant. Add the drained beans, broth or water, tomatoes and bay leaf.
- Stir and lower the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30 minutes or up to several hours. Stir occasionally and add more stock or water if the chili starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- When ready to serve, remove the bay leaf and stir in the hot sauce and taste for salt. If you have an immersion blender, use it to purée the soup in a couple spots to thicken the base. Serve topped with a squeeze of lime and optional toppings.