A vegetarian version of this incredibly tasty chili may be created by leaving out the ground beef. This recipe will have your guests requesting seconds because of its distinctive texture and sweet savory flavor with a hint of spice.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 35 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 5 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 (19 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the ground beef. Cook and stir until the beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease; set beef aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, and jalapeno pepper; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute more to release the flavor of the spices. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini, oregano, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Simmer until the bell peppers are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Once the red and green peppers are tender, stir in the quinoa, beef, and corn kernels. Return to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes to reheat. Stir in the cilantro to serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 412 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 53 g |
| Cholesterol | 45 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 15 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 705 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I have made this several times and every time it turns out awesome.
Turned out great! I couldn’t find quinoa at the grocery store but used this recipe anyway. Doubled garlic and the first batch we used a jalapeño on the second we just used Adobe/chipotle sauce for heat instead. Delicious! Love the addition of zucchini and corn in the chili!
I loved this recipe. I made it all plant based. I used soy burger non dairy cheese. I like my chili spicy so I used habeneras instead of jalapeños. I also used plant based cheese to top it off delicious
Great base recipe. I’ve made this recipe both as vegetarian, where the quinoa gives a nice chili texture, and I’ve made it with meat. It’s pretty flexible to make to your taste. Here are my most recent adjustments: ground turkey instead of ground beef, 1 can black beans and 1 can kidney beans instead of two black beans, poblano peppers instead of bell, omit zucchini (if adding, grate it), canned corn instead of frozen, extra jalapeños and added cayenne pepper to make it spicier. For those who said it turned out too thick/dry – try adding canned beans and canned corn without draining liquid from cans. Serve with grated cheese and tortilla chips.
Loved this recipe! I added cabbage and didn’t have black beans but used pinto and it was delicious!
Very good and filling! I did add a lot more seasoning to get it to taste more like chili. Also, I cooked the quinoa in chicken broth instead of water. It made a lot more than I was anticipating which was not a problem at all!
I ysedva yellow pepper instead of a green and replace chickpeas instead of corn.
This is actually really good. Second time making it.
added mushrooms and only one can of beans. no meat. delishious
used a pre-packaged bag of quinoa, an extra pound of ground beef, a little less onion but was delicious. My mother-in-law and husband raved about it. Kids wouldn’t touch it though…..
A yummy alternative recipe for chili, my favorite meal. I will definitely make this often. Might try a vegetarian approach for meals with my vegetarian friends.
This will be joining my normal rotation it is so good and easy! Made it as stated, but added some cinnamon, cloves and chocolate powder for a little something different. The combination of veggies (which I was extra heavy handed with in quantity) made for a great taste plus healthy too.
This was very good! The reason I’m giving it 4 stars is because I had to double up on most of the ingredients. I followed the recipe when I first made it and after it was simmering a little while it just wasn’t spicy enough (and we don’t even do real spicy in this house) so I had to double all the spices. I also added a can of diced “chili ready” tomatoes which really helped. I didn’t add the whole pot of quinoa (which I cooked in vegetable stock first) because it just seemed like there would have been too much of it in there. I also had to add salt and like another reviewer I put in a couple teaspoons of cocoa powder. Although, to be honest, I don’t know if it did anything but I wanted to try it! All in all we both liked it and I will for sure make it again. Thank you.
This is such a hearty and flavorful chili! I added cayenne pepper to kick up the spice a bit. Gets better the second day!
Excellent. Whole family loved it. Thank you!!
Delusional!
I modified this recipe quite a bit and made it vegan but it was super delicious! I used cooked quinoa, black beans, salsa style diced tomatoes, minced garlic, a ton of chili powder, cumin and red pepper flakes. Since I left out a lot of the vegetables because I didn’t have them (and the ground beef because I’m vegetarian) I added some baked tofu to bulk it up.
Good “chili”. Although, as other people have said, it’s a little on the thick side to be traditional chili. Not that it is bad, just maybe not what you’d expect making it. Only 2 changes I’d make is adding a bit more spice and double the meat.
Made this chili and it turned out wonderful. I added an extra 8onz of tomatoes and about 1/3cup of vegetable broth. I also added some celery and sautéed it together with the onion. Other than that, followed the rest of the recipe.
I add the cooked beef at the same time as tomatoes. Added extra water like others have said. Also added a tablespoon of coriander powder and can of chipotle peppers. VERY delicious.
This was VERY good! my first time cooking with quinoa and what a treat! thank u