| Level: | None |
| Total: | 2 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 poblano peppers
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds firm small to medium-size zucchini, chopped into small dice
- 2 onions, chopped into small dice
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 red or green hot chile pepper, chopped or thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cumin, palmful
- 1 tablespoon coriander, palmful
- A few sprigs fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram, 1/3 palmful
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 (12-ounce) bottle beer (recommended: Negra Modela)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup long grain white or light brown rice
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, optional
Instructions
- Char the skins of the poblano chiles by placing them over a gas burner or under a hot broiler with the oven door slightly cracked. Turn the chiles until the skins are black. Remove and cool the chiles in a tightly covered bowl, then peel and finely chop or process into coarse puree in food processor.
- Heat extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat and add zucchini, onions, garlic, hot pepper, cumin, coriander, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper, stir frequently for 10 minutes. Add in the tomato paste, and stir 1 minute more. Deglaze the pan with beer, stir in poblanos and beans and about half of the stock, bring to a bubble then reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes to combine flavors. Cool completely, cover and store for make-ahead meal. Reheat over medium heat.
- While the chili reheats make the rice. Melt the butter in a saucepot over medium heat and add the rice, toast a minute or 2, then stir in 1 1/2 cups stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook covered, over low heat 15 minutes.
- To food processor, add the spinach, cilantro, if using, and a little salt, and pulse into a fine paste. Stir the paste into the rice after 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pot and let the rice stand another 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve in shallow bowls with zucchini chili and toppings of choice to garnish.
- Toppers to choose from: crushed tortillas or warm soft tortillas, sour cream, shredded cheeses, scallions or finely chopped onions, lime wedges.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 599 |
| Total Fat | 21 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 83 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 14 g |
| Sugar | 14 g |
| Protein | 19 g |
| Cholesterol | 11 mg |
| Sodium | 483 mg |
Reviews
Pretty good and no fuss!- gotta like that! And a good way to sneak in zuchini : extra veggies I love the way Racheal suggests toppers and most of the time easy side dishes to serve her dish with.. Wish all the chefs did that.
Easy & scrumptious! Nothing better!!! Whole family loved it. Watch out for a little heat in those poblanos. You just don’t know when you might get a hot one vs a mild one. So delicious!!!
Wow!!!
If you want to avoid the rice, try cauliflower riced in food processor. Microwave for 3 minutes.
This is awesome! We couldn’t find poblano peppers so we used Hatch Chili peppers instead and jalapeno’s. Came out nice and spicy with just the right heat. We also added frozen sweet corn and that really was a nice touch.
Tastes great and leaves plenty of room for variance and goes great with meat. One recommendation is to not chop the zucchini too small as I did the first time I made it. It seems more hearty with chunks of zucchini, at least IMHO.
This is not a boring chili. It’s healthy and soothing. I will definitely make this again, especially this winter.
This chili is amazing! So flavorful and filling. The rice is a must.
What a fantastic vegetarian dish, healthy but filling and delicious!
Very tasty! Simple, too. Especially liked the spinach rice and we’ll use that with other dishes as well. Thanks, Rachael!