Easy Vegetarian Chili Recipe
Tender zucchini, bell peppers, and carrots make up the base for this delicious and easy vegetarian chili made with two kinds of beans. Serve with homemade jalapeno cornbread for a perfect fall dinner.
October is National Chili Month, what better way to celebrate than with a bowl of delicious chili made with lots of fresh veggies. You get fiber, vitamins, and nutrients from all the colorful veggies, and you won’t miss the meat because the chili is hearty and super flavorful from the delicious chili spices and beans.
This chili is not only easy to make, it’s perfect for watching football games with a crowd or to serve on Halloween when all the ghosts and goblins will be knocking on your door.
Plus, it can be vegan and gluten-free if you choose your toppings carefully.
Take advantage of the HOT sale on Kuner’s beans at Safeway this week – as low as $.09 for the southwest varieties or just $.26 a can for the traditional beans.
How to Make the Best Vegetarian Chili
While the ingredients in this chili recipe are super basic, the flavor is anything but. Simple ingredients can taste exceptional when they start off with aromatics like onion, carrot, and garlic. Add bell pepper and zucchini and not only are you adding delicious flavors, but you are also adding nutritional density as well.
Add traditional chili spices and some brown sugar to help bring out the sweetness of the carrots and peppers and add a layer of complexity to the chili flavors. Canned beans and tomatoes contribute delicious plant-based protein and heft.
This chili also gets its delicious flavor from the Kuner’s chili beans in the sauce.
I will admit I have never used the chili beans in the sauce before and I will say that I have been missing out! The sauce is simply chili spices and corn starch to thicken the sauce.
There’s actually a bit of heat in there as well! It’s my new go-to when making chili just for the added flavor you get from the chili beans.
Top with fresh sliced jalapeno if you like additional heat, or add some shredded or crumbled cheese and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Vegetarian Chili Nutritional Benefits
Trust me when I say you won’t miss the meat in this vegetarian chili. Full of flavor and heft, even your carnivorous friends and family will enjoy a hot bowl of this chili. Let’s break it down so you can see the nutritional power of this chili:
- Carrots – high in fiber, beta carotene, vitamin K, potassium, and antioxidants
- Red and Yellow Bell Peppers – high in vitamins A, C, B6, folate, and fiber
- Zucchini – Vitamins A, C, folate, potassium, and magnesium
- Beans – high in fiber, potassium, magnesium, and help reduce hypertension
- Cumin – promotes digestion and helps with iron intake
This vegetarian chili is also weight loss friendly because it fills you up and has a ton of nutrients and vitamins with all the extra veggies in the chili.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- 1 large yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 1 medium zucchini cubed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 15oz can Kuner’s® Chili Beans (do not drain)
- 1 15 oz can of Kuner's® Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15oz can Kuner’s® Whole Kernel Corn, drained
- 1 14.5oz can Kuner’s® Petite Diced Tomatoes (do not drain)
- 1 8oz can tomato sauce
- 6 oz. Cotija or Cheddar cheese crumbled
- 6 lime wedges
Nutrition
This recipe post and video are sponsored by Kuner’s of Colorado. We appreciate and encourage you to support the brands that make this site possible.
Please let me know how this chili turns out for you in the comments! I always love to hear from you.
Check out additional recipes we have created using Kuner’s Beans here:
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