Vegetarian Gluten Free Chili
Gluten free chili is packed with two kinds of beans, smoky spices, crushed tomatoes, and other veggies.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 119kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper , chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt , divided
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder , or to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika , or use regular paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 28 ounces diced or crushed tomatoes (if using diced tomatoes, use their juices)
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans , rinsed and drained
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans , rinsed and drained
- 2 cups water
- 1 lime , juiced, plus more for serving
Instructions
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat (I used a Dutch oven), warm the olive oil. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and carrot, plus 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 the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and oregano. Stir constantly so that the vegetables don't burn for about 1 minute.
- Add the canned tomatoes, the drained beans, and water. Stir to combine and let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally and reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, for 30 minutes.
- If you wish, remove about 1 ½ cups of the chili and, using a blender or hand blender, carefully blend it until smooth. Then return the blended chili to the pot of chili.
- Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime, and add salt to taste. Serve hot.
Notes
- Try other beans. Mix it up and do a combination of chickpeas, kidney beans, white beans, or even refried beans.
- Adjust the spice. I don't do a lot of spice, so you can definitely add more or less chili powder to suit your taste.
- More veggies. Throw in some sliced mushrooms, diced zucchini, or chopped celery along with the onion and pepper.
- Add corn. I love a cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels stirred into the chili pot a few minutes before serving.
- Don't forget the lime. A little acidity balances the sweetness of the tomatoes in chili, so I recommend always squeezing in the juice of 1 lime (add more to taste and place a bowl of lime wedges on the table when serving). If you don't have lime juice, add 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
- Mash it. Don't want to deal with a blender? Use a wooden spoon to stir and mash some of the beans against the side of the pot to create that chunky-smooth chili texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 412mg | Potassium: 592mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 4959IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg