Make Ahead
Mid-Atlantic Veggie Chili
- Prep time 15 minutes
- Cook time 1 hour 30 minutes
- Serves 6
Author Notes
Avert your eyes, Texans. I grew up on low-brow canned chilli, and when I make it at home now, I want to recreate that nostalgic taste. I use a homemade freshly ground chilli powder here, but that's only because I have an abundance of dried Mexican chiles (and no jar of chilli powder). Use whatever you prefer, but the flavour of the chilli powder definitely contributes a lot to the dish.
You could certainly add ground beef or soy crumbles to this chilli, if you want a meatier texture. I'd brown a pound of ground beef first, then add the onions and peppers to the pot as well and continue from there.
This is great served with (New England) cornbread, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream - or whatever floats your boat! —ChristineB
What You'll Need
Ingredients
-
1 cup
dried black beans (or two cans of cooked bean)
-
1 cup
dried kidney beans (or two cans of cooked bean)
-
1 cup
dried pinto beans (or two cans of cooked bean)
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1
bay leaf
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1/4 cup
olive oil
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2
medium yellow onions
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3
bell peppers, any colors
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1
jalapeno
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4
cloves garlic
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2
14 oz cans whole tomatoes
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3 tablespoons
chilli powder
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1 teaspoon
ground cumin
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1 1/2 cups
fresh or frozen corn kernels
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salt to taste
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garnishes, such as cheese, sour cream, cilantro, tortilla chips, avocado, etc.
Directions
- Cook beans in your preferred method. I usually cook them all together (plus the bay leaf) on high pressure in an Instant Pot (in salted water) for 30 minutes. Either natural or manual release is fine.
- While the beans are cooking, cut the onions and bell peppers into a large dice. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat, and sauté onions and peppers until fully soft.
- Mince garlic and jalapeño. I include the seeds of the jalapeño, as it's a large pot of chilli and one jalapeño's worth of seeds doesn't make it very spicy. Add minced garlic and jalapeño to the pot with the onions and peppers, and sauté for a few minutes until it smells very fragrant.
- Add both cans of tomatoes, and roughly break them up with a wooden spoon. Stir in chilli powder and ground cumin, then add all of the beans as well as their cooking liquid and the bay leaf.
- Simmer on medium-low heat for 45 minutes, then add the corn kernels. Continue cooking for another 15 minutes, or as long as you'd like. I sometimes leave it on very low heat for several hours, stirring every 30 minutes or so.
- Serve with your preferred garnishes and accompaniments! I like this with cornbread (I love the Rich Corn Cake from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook), and topped with grated cheddar, a bit of sour cream, and fresh cilantro.
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