I made a realization this weekend. Chili is so hearty that I really don’t realize if there is even meat in them. So why add it in? With a bunch of different beans and peppers, you can still deliver an absolutely delicious chili that doesn’t even need meat! (I’m not knocking those that like meat in their chili, I just apparently prefer the vegetarian version)
Katherine Martinelli had a chili link up last week on her blog and I couldn’t stop thinking about chili. Her Three Bean Chili in particular looked so fantastic, I decided to make my own version of it below. It is based off of her recipe but I did make some changes, so to see the original recipe, check it out here.
This Tri-Vegetarian Chili is aptly named. It uses three types of beans, three types of dried peppers, and three types of bell peppers.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dried red kidney beans
- 1 cup dried great northern beans
- 1 cup dried black turtle beans
- 2 dried guajillo peppers
- 2 dried chipotle peppers
- 2 dried ancho chili peppers
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
A little bit about my dried pepper choices. Ancho chili peppers are just poblano peppers that have been dried. They are really mild in terms of spice for the most part but some can really pack a punch. Guajillo peppers are pretty mild to medium heat chili peppers, about on par with jalapeno peppers. Chipotle peppers are jalapeno peppers that have been smoked, giving them a really nice meaty flavor. I was going to subtle heat with my pepper choices, but you can mix and match to suit your style.
The night before, add all the dried beans to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak overnight. Drain the beans and set aside.
I split open my dried peppers and removed all the seeds. You don’t have to do this, I just didn’t want seeds in my chili. Add the dried chili peppers in a small pot over medium heat and cover with water.
Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Transfer the chilies to a food processor with 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid and pulse. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened.
Add the bell peppers and stir to combine.
Combine cumin, oregano, cinnamon and salt. Add to pot and stir for 30 seconds.
Transfer to a slow cooker. Add pureed chilies, crushed tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth, and soy sauce.
Stir to combine.
Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
I topped mine with cheese but a dollop of sour cream would also be super tasty with this chili. I made this later in the day so when it was finished, I packed it up and refrigerated it overnight. When I reheated it the next day, the flavors had time to meld together.
The chili has a slight amount of heat but isn’t overly spicy by any means. The beans and bell peppers make this a nice chunky chili that really fills you up quickly! To make this gluten-free, you can omit the soy sauce, but it does add an earthiness to the dish that might otherwise be lacking. It is also vegan if you don’t add the cheese or sour cream on top. I suggest making some of this Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread with it!
- 1 cup dried red kidney beans
- 1 cup dried great northern beans
- 1 cup dried black turtle beans
- 2 dried guajillo peppers
- 2 dried chipotle peppers
- 2 dried ancho chili peppers
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- The night before, add all the dried beans to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak overnight. Drain the beans and set aside.
- I split open my dried peppers and removed all the seeds. You don’t have to do this, I just didn’t want seeds in my chili. Add the dried chili peppers in a small pot over medium heat and cover with water.
- Simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the chilies to a food processor with 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid and pulse. Set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened.
- Add the bell peppers and stir to combine.
- Combine cumin, oregano, cinnamon and salt. Add to pot and stir for 30 seconds.
- Transfer to a slow cooker. Add pureed chilies, crushed tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth, and soy sauce.
- Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours. Season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Top with shredded cheese or sour cream, if desired.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I cooked it last night and my family loved it!
Next time, I am going to try to boil the beans for 10 minutes before transferring to the slow cooker. I am not sure if my slow cooker was broken, but the beans were still hard after 2 hours of being slow cooked. I had to simmer the chili on my stovetop for the remaining 2 hours.
Thank you for sharing!
Glad you liked it Flynn! I actually cook the chili for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. I honestly haven’t tested the beans half way through to know how cooked they are at 2 hours but keeping the lid on for the entire time should help them cook better. I hope this helps!