Quinoa and vegetarian chili. To serve, top with cheese.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr |
| Servings: | 10 |
| Yield: | 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 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
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 tablespoon minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 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; set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and cook until the onion softens and turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook and stir 1 minute to release the flavors. Stir in the tomatoes, black beans, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno pepper, chipotle pepper, and oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, stir in the reserved quinoa and corn. Cook to reheat the corn for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir in the cilantro to serve.
Reviews
I have made this many times, just getting around to writing a review. (Making a batch for the superbowl!) I make this almost as written, with a couple of slight changes. I don’t like green pepper, so I use a red and a yellow, which enhances the color of the dish. I roast the jalapeño in my toaster oven before adding it to the chili to give it a smoky taste and mellow it out. When I make ahead, I freeze the cooked veg mix and the quinoa separately, so it doesn’t get even thicker. Then I add the corn at the end, as written. My big tip is to use the jarred Frontera Chipotle Pepper Adobo sauce. I keep a jar in the fridge and use it in any recipe that calls for adobo.
Very good. I did leave out the jalapenos and chipotles and added smoked paprika. Is a definite do-again.
I am surprised at all of the positive reviews of this dish. It was very bland and not spicy at all. I had to add hot sauce, cilantro, cheese and sour cream. I won’t make this one a second time.
This is my favorite chili recipe for years now. But, I always skip the corn. I also make it without quinoa sometimes bc my family likes eating it over rice (and the quinoa adds too many carbs for that). But this recipe is seriously perfect. Everyone always loves it and can’t believe it’s vegan!
Will definitely be making this again. Didn’t have the adobe or zuchini, so I knew it would be much more mild than my normal chili recipe (Atomic Canuck Chili from this site – which we love and I’ve been making forever) but the flavor’s still great. So I’m sure it will be amazing when I make it with the correct ingredients.
Excellent recipe! I discovered this about a year ago and it is so delicious. I make it once a month and freeze portions of it (reheats well). This is one of those life changing recipes that I wish I knew about years ago. It is very healthy, hearty, and I do not mind that it is meatless. I could eat it everyday. The chipotle in adobo adds flavor so don’t leave it out-I’ve been adding a little extra and a small can of tomato sauce and ground coriander. You can adjust the spiciness. One time I didn’t have a jalapeño so added crushed red pepper and cayenne powder and liked it better that way. It looks beautiful and colorful and the veggies give it a nice crisp/crunchy texture.
Yum! First time every cooking quinoa and I loved it! This was delicious and very filling. One addition was I added a squash for some more veggies.
Very delicious and with just the right amount of kick. I followed the recipe exactly. Definitely a thicker consistency than what I think of as chili, but I wouldn’t change things.
Delicious! As a dad who does most of the cooking I love how it’s pretty easy and u can always have lots of leftovers.. added chicken and used olive oil instead of veggie oil. You can make it into tacos too!
We found this to be very healthy and delicious. The only slight alteration was 1 cup of vegetable broth in place of 1 cup of water in the quinoa. Followed the recipe to a T beyond that slight change. This did make quite a bit which I divided and froze promptly for lunches. It will come in handy I’m sure. We will be repeating this one in the near future.
We found this to be very healthy and delicious. The only slight alteration was 1 cup of vegetable broth in place of 1 cup of water in the quinoa. Followed the recipe to a T beyond that slight change. This did make quite a bit which I divided and froze promptly for lunches. It will come in handy I’m sure. We will be repeating this one in the near future.
It was good, but not spicy enough for my tastes. I think maybe my spices are a bit old, so I’ll definitely double them next time. Also, don’t make a mistake like I did and use two 15oz cans of black beans– this is definitely not enough! 5 stars because this is a great recipe and I think I ended up with a lack of flavor through my own fault.
Really good even if you’re not a vegetarian! I made multiple tweaks to this due to ingredient availability. I substituted the beans for red lentils and added ground turkey! The flavor in this is really surprisingly good! Will definitely make again!
My whole family really enjoyed this dish. I didnt have crushed tomatoes on hand, so I used one can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes and one can of tomato sauce. I also didn’t have any zucchini or chipotle peppers, so I just omitted them. I’ll definitely be making this again.
I added in a pound of ground chicken and worked well.
Delish! Made this for my newly-vegan daughter and the whole family loved it. Though, it seemed way too thick even before the quinoa so I added an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce (it could’ve used even more.) The amount of quinoa seemed like too much, so I only stirred in about half of what I made – it was plenty, still overflowing with quinoa. I also added a splash of lime for depth of flavor. YUMMMM and sooo heathy!
No changes. Added some cheese and sour cream (a little bit) in the cup I ate. Very tasty. Did use low sodium Black Beans.
Gave it 5 stars as I can tell it would be excellent as written, if you liked cumin and cilantro. We are iffy on both and rather than bail on the recipe, I omitted cilantro and cut cumin down by half. We still loved it! Since we are not vegetarian, I cooked the quinoa in beef broth to add a little meaty flavour, so for those who can’t quite go vegetarian try beef broth. This dish is a keeper for us. The chipotle made it!
Very bland. I would maybe add a bit more spice. Maybe double them and add a tsp roast peppers. I wouldnt make this exact recipe agai or recommend it.
I loved it. Nice veg meal for someone who hates cooking. I will make again.
Tasty, filling, and healthy. Easy to make, perfect every time. Freeze the extra chipotle in adobo for next time. No one ever misses the meat! I live to top it with Greek yogurt (mixed with lime zest, salt and pepper), avocados, green onions, cheese, and serve with tortilla chips.