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  • Makes about 12 cups
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Don’t let this recipe's long ingredient list intimidate you: You probably have most of it in your fridge and pantry already, and the rest is easy to find. Steel-cut oats thicken the stew and add a meaty texture, but what really sets it apart is the addition of fresh vegetables—lots of them—which blend right in with the beans and sauce. This vegetarian chili is delicious all on its own, but you can also top it with sliced avocado, chopped scallions, chopped tomatoes, and fresh cilantro.

Recipe from sharonpalmer.com

By Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN,

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried kidney, cranberry, or red beans, soaked overnight and drained
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1½ cups chopped carrots
  • 1½ cups chopped celery
  • 1½ cups sliced zucchini
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 cup frozen or canned no-salt-added whole-kernel corn
  • ¾ cup dry steel-cut oats
  • ½ cup tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano, crushed
  • 2 teaspoons dried cilantro, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Sea salt
  • Bottled hot pepper sauce
  • Toppings such as sliced avocado, chopped scallions, and snipped fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

  • Place the soaked beans in a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven. Add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir in the diced tomatoes and their juice, carrots, celery, zucchini, onion, bell pepper, corn, oats, tomato paste, tamari, garlic, brown sugar, chili powder, oregano, cilantro, cumin, and paprika. Return to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low.
  • Cover and simmer for 45 minutes more or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in additional water as needed if the chili becomes too thick.
  • Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and hot pepper sauce. Serve with toppings (if using).
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Comments (9)

(5 from 9 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Sandy

This is my favorite chili and a regular at our home! I make this easy by putting three cans of sodium-free beans (no draining if a BPA sodium-free brand) in my Instapot and then throwing in the remaining ingredients except for the water. I add low-sodium vegetable broth up to the max fill line on the pot and mix everything up. Cook on High pressure for three minutes and then you can quick release if you want the vegetables a bit firmer or let the pressure release naturally if you want them more tender (or forget).

Charlene

Hands down my favorite plant based chili by far! I love the texture the steel cut oats gave this chili and the flavor is so smoky and savory. I used canned red beans instead of dried + it worked wonderfully!

Paula A.

So yummy. I substituted 4 cans of red beans because I had them. Added my veggie broth... Still worked out perfectly. Love the flavors and the colors. The oats were a nice touch. :0)

Hannah

I honestly find chili very boring, but decided to make this since I had leftover ingredients. This was definitely brilliant. Great on its own, with hot sauce, or even with a little rice in a burrito.

Tina

Great recipe. I used three different types of beans (red kidney, cannelli beans and cranberry - 1 cup dry each). Also added califlower. Came out great and quick and easy to make too!

Danielle Mitchell

Easy to follow came GREAT...ADDED Turkey Meat for Damily they Lovveddd it

Daniela Erasmus

This is one of my favourite recipes to make, quick, easy and very tasty.

Valerie

This is so good and I highly recommend it. Very tasty!

LN

The recipe was delicious! Even my non-plant based food lovers said it was the best chili!

About the Author

Headshot of Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN

About the Author

Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN

Sharon Palmer is an award-winning registered dietitian nutritionist and editor. She is the author of The Plant-Powered Diet and California Vegan, and she blogs at The Plant-Powered Dietitian. A nationally recognized plant-based nutrition expert, she lives outside of Los Angeles with her husband and two sons. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
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