Description
Hearty vegetarian chili from Barefoot Contessa delights palates with robust flavors and comforting textures. Beans, vegetables, and spices blend seamlessly, creating a satisfying meal you’ll crave on cool evenings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cans (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 large can (28 oz / 794 g) diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 medium red onion, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsps chili powder
- 2 tsps ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsps smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsps chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnishing
- 1 to 2 tsps sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar, or lime juice, to taste
- Sliced avocado (optional)
- Tortilla chips (optional)
- Sour cream or crème fraîche (optional)
- Grated cheddar cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Sauté Aromatics: Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium temperature. Combine onion, bell pepper, carrot, and celery, seasoning with salt. Cook until vegetables soften and onions turn translucent, approximately 8 minutes.
- Develop Flavor Profile: Introduce garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Stir continuously for one minute to awaken and intensify spice essences without scorching.
- Combine and Simmer: Add diced tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, vegetable broth, and bay leaf. Blend ingredients thoroughly and allow mixture to reach a gentle simmer. Reduce heat and let chili slowly develop flavors for 30 minutes, stirring periodically to prevent adherence to pot bottom.
- Texture Enhancement: Remove bay leaf and create a velvety consistency by pureeing a portion of the chili. Use either a blender or immersion blender to partially break down ingredients, reincorporating the smooth mixture into the pot.
- Final Seasoning and Serving: Incorporate fresh cilantro and a splash of vinegar to brighten the flavor profile. Adjust seasoning with additional salt if needed. Transfer to serving bowls and embellish with optional garnishes like cilantro, avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, and cheddar cheese to personalize the dish.
Notes
- Veggie Prep Matters: Uniformly chop vegetables for even cooking and consistent texture throughout the chili.
- Spice Awakening: Toast spices briefly to intensify their flavors and release deep, complex aromatics before adding liquid ingredients.
- Thickening Technique: Partially blending a portion of the chili creates a rich, creamy consistency while maintaining some chunky vegetable texture.
- Flavor Balancing: Adding a splash of vinegar at the end brightens the overall taste and cuts through the richness of the beans and vegetables.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg