I told you hearty meals were coming! To me Chili is one of the most fall recipes I can think of.
Growing up, my mom would often make Chili on Halloween. It was easy and she could let it cook all afternoon while she got our costumes ready, the candy bags for the neighborhood kids sorted, and it was hearty enough to get us through a long night of going door-to-door. (There was also usually some left-over to warm us up after!)
This recipe is a great one for when you are heading out for the day and want to come home to a warm yummy dinner – the beauty of slow cookers. It feeds about 4-6 people too, so if you have a family or group you are trying to feed it’s awesome. Or, save the extra servings and freeze them for another dinner (one of my recommended meal planning tips!).
Chili is also one of my go-to vegetarian recipes when I am trying to limit how much meat we eat as it already has enough protein content that you don’t really even need or miss the meat! I’m also here to say that I think I have finally perfected my Chili seasoning balance as this was one of the best vegetarian chili’s I have made to date!
Here’s what you’ll need:
2 cans of Beans (I chose Red Kidney Beans and Chickpeas this time.)
1 can of Diced Tomatoes
1 tablespoon of Tomato Paste
1 medium Onion (diced)
1 Green Bell Pepper (diced)
1/2 to 1 cup of Frozen Corn
Grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese (for on top of each bowl)
Seasonings:
2 teaspoons Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Curry Powder
1 teaspoon Paprika (sweet not hot)
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
*Optional add Red Pepper Flakes or some Cayenne Pepper if you want it spicy (I opted for a non-spicy chili this times).
- Prepare all of the ingredients, dice the bell pepper & onion. Make sure to rinse the canned beans to remove the excess starch and liquid from canning. Do not drain the diced tomatoes.
- Add all of your ingredients into the slow cooker pot. Stir thoroughly to combine.
- Add in all of your seasonings and again mix thoroughly.
- Set to cook for 6 hours on high setting. I prefer doing 6 hours than 4, I find that the flavours come out more and the texture of the beans is nicer.
- Stir at least once half way through (at about the 3 hour mark) to ensure even cooking and flavour distribution.
- Once the 6 hours is up turn off the slower cooker, or leave it set to warm, and stir one last time. The last step is to grate some cheese to put on top!
I love to serve this with warm bread or buns and lots of grated cheddar or Monterey jack cheese on the top. There is lots of protein and fiber in this recipe and it’s very quick and easy to make. Also because it doesn’t have any meat in it, it is even more affordable! All around an easy delicious cold weather recipe!
Let me know if you try this recipe out and what you think!
Write soon,
Hannah B.L.
HBLogs 