Even the most ardent meat eater will adore this rich, spicy chili because it is loaded with great protein. If you’re not vegan, consider adding toppings like lime and sour cream.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 2 hrs 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 40 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (19 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 1 (12 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
- ¼ cup dry red lentils
- ¼ cup uncooked quinoa
- ¼ cup chili powder
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons water, or more as needed
Instructions
- Heat oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat; stir in onion, green and red bell peppers, and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Mash 1/2 of the black beans in a small bowl. Transfer to the Dutch oven with the remaining whole black beans. Add diced tomatoes, 2 cups water, corn, lentils, quinoa, chili powder, brown sugar, paprika, salt, turmeric, oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, and black pepper; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.
- Make a slurry by mixing cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water until completely dissolved, adding more water if necessary. Stir slurry into the chili and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Mash chili with a potato masher to desired consistency.
Reviews
SO GOOD!!! Husband likes meat in his chili and was very surprised there wasn’t any in this. A little too sweet so probably cut that in half. I added a jalapeno and doubled the red pepper flakes and still would have liked it spicier. Also, I added can of kidney beans and used what I had, green lentils. Instead of mashing the beans, I put 1/2 can of both black bean and kidney beans in blender and pulsed a few times. Next time I will add more lentils and quinoa.
I absolutely LOVE this chili…. I follow it to the T…. so yummy
It was a hearty, healthy meal. I left out the brown sugar, and left out step 3 altogether. After I made the chili, I cooked more lentils and added since it needed more lentils. Next time add 1/2- 3/4 cup of dry lentils. Used brown lentils since I did not have red.
I only used 1 TBSP of brown sugar not the 1/4 cup. I think I will leave it out altogether next time. It is very good will definitely make it again. Chili to me shouldn’t be sweet.