vegetarian chili

There’s a reason chili is such a hit in the colder months. On those days that you’re just not really feeling your best and it’s freezing outside, it’s nice to curl up with a warm soup. And that’s exactly what chili is, a soup! For my family, I love it for days when I’m not feeling my best or if my husband is sick. So many of the ingredients just come from a can (nothing wrong with that!) and I don’t have to worry about spending hours and hours in the kitchen. Not only is it super easy to make, but it’s so customizable so you can really make it feel like your own recipe. Plus, you can make a huge batch and freeze the leftovers for another time when you’re not feeling the best.

I like to make macaroni and cheese and add any leftover chili to that too, it’s so good!!

The beans in the chili add so many important nutrients that are going to make us feel our best, like iron and folate. Chili is also going to be a source of vitamin C from the peppers and the tomato sauce, which contains antioxidants can help the iron in the beans absorb better! It’s also a great source of fiber, which when our appetites aren’t the best we definitely need to focus on foods to make sure our digestive system stays healthy too!

The tomatoes and tomato sauce, plus the veggie broth, is going to add in extra hydration, which again if we aren’t eating or drinking as much when we’re sick we need to focus on those hydrating foods when we can.

Ingredients:

½ a yellow onion, diced

1 green pepper (or red or yellow or orange), diced

1 tbsp chopped garlic

1 can pureed tomatoes, 15 oz

2 cups veggie broth, more as needed

1 can kidney beans, 15 oz

1 can pinto beans, 15 oz

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp dried oregano

1 tablespoon cumin

1-2 tbsp chili powder

Pepper to taste

2 tbsp oil of choice

Optional: additional garlic + onion powder to taste; 1 cube of dark chocolate (80-90%) or 1 tsp sugar*.

Instructions:

Add oil to Dutch oven or large pot and bring to low/medium heat. Add in onions and green pepper, sauté until onions are translucent.

Add in garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add pureed tomatoes and veggie broth to the pot and increase heat to medium. Add all other ingredients to the pot and let simmer for 20 – 30 minutes. Serve warm.

*sugar will help cut the acidity. If using chocolate with added sugar, disregard.