- 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (1 3/4 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups water (or chicken broth if not making vegetarian)
- 1 (7 oz) can diced green chiles
- 2 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used one dark red, one light red)
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
Preparation
Step 1
If you’ve tried the Quinoa, Black Bean and Corn Tacos I have posted then this recipe will be very familiar to you. I adapted that recipe to make a chili recipe. My family has loved those tacos so I decided to make it into a chili. This is going to become one of those recipes I frequently make, especially during the upcoming chilly fall and winter months.
If you’d like to you can also add in a diced red or green bell pepper while sauting the onion. I just didn’t have one on hand at the time and didn’t feel like making an extra trip to the store for one. So, if you like bell peppers in your chili, I’d definitely toss one in. You could also omit the corn if you’d prefer it without. This can even be made vegan if you simply leave off the cheese and sour cream topping. Enjoy!
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large enameled cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot add onion and saute until tender, about 4 minutes, adding in garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. Add in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cooked quinoa, water (start with 1 1/2 cups then add more later if desired), green chiles, chili powder, cumin, cocoa, paprika, sugar, coriander, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot and allow to simmer 30 minutes.
Add in all beans, corn, cilantro and lime and cook until heated through. Serve warm with optional toppings and sides (cheddar, sour cream, diced avocados, saltine crackers or tortilla chips).
Sue: When do you add Quinoa ?
: So sorry, I’ve added that above. Thanks for pointing that out!
Sam: I’m a vegetarian and love the sound of this recipe. Going to make it tomorrow for dinner. Keep the vego recipes coming! :)
: I’m loving this, and I am not even a vegetarian! Great way to make chili a little healthier :)
Ray: Sounds and looks delicious. How many servings does this make?
: For my family it was about 6 as a main dish. Sorry I should have added that on before.
: The look and sound of this recipe makes me just a little less sad that fall is around the corner. It looks so comforting and delicious.
: It is starting to get a little chilly and I love vegetarian chili! I can’t wait to give this a try. I’ve made a vegetarian chili before but added barley. I like the idea of adding quinoa.
Chelsea: I found this on Pinterest, and it looks really yummy. I normally add barley or crumbled tempeh to my chili, but quinoa would make for a nice change. I think I would use vegetable broth in place of water though.
: Do you think you think this would work in the crockpot? Using uncooked quinoa with the water needed for that added in?
: I think so, I was actually wanting to try it too. I’d probably wait until the end to add the beans in. I hope you love it if you do decide to make it Brittany!
Stephanie: Can you tell me about how many cups each serving is? I am trying to calculate Weight Watchers points. This looks delicious, going to make it tomorrow night!
Sharleen: Wow! Really great recipe! Thanks so much for sharing. I increased the chili powder a bit and added a red pepper, diced. My husband, a real meat lover, enjoyed this dish. I knew I would as soon as I read the recipe.
: Oh no, pretty much any large pan would work fine :). I hope you love it if you do make it Kristina!
Vanessa: I omitted the garlic and cayenne pepper (just didn’t have them on hand), and prepared the quinoa with vegetable broth instead of water. The consistency was perfect, but unfortunately it was too spicy to eat! My husband and I love spicy food (Sriracha, Tabasco, etc.), but 2 1/2 T of chili powder was way too much. In the future, I would at least halve (or just add to taste) the chili powder. I look forward to making this recipe again, but with less fire!
Heather: This is my absolute favorite chili recipe! I made it about a month ago and had quite a bit leftover so I froze it. Just took it out and ate it for lunch and it was just as good as the day I made it. Thanks for the great recipe
: You’re very welcome Heather! I’m so glad you liked it and happy to hear it freezes well, thanks for leaving a comment!
Rekha: Hi! I just tried this recipe and my family really enjoyed it. I did modify it based on the ingredients I had on hand (used smoked paprika, ancho chile powder, and used boca/Morningstar crumbles since I didn’t have any quinoa) and it came out great. I’m sure your version is nice and spicy, but I wanted to make it toddler friendly (and my little one really loved it). Thanks for sharing your recipe!
kate: If I wanted to try to make this in the crock pot, would I change anything? For example, would I put the quinoa in the crock pot uncooked?
: Yes I would probably put it in the slow cooker uncooked but I would add in that extra amount of water that you would be using to cook the quinoa. Hope you love it!
Hannah: Oh my goodness! This is the BEST chili I have EVER eaten! I am so grateful that I found your recipe on Pinterest. I am going to recommend your page to everyone I know! Also, I added half a green pepper and half a red pepper and it was perfect. Thanks for posting :)
Laura: Hands down, the best chili I’ve ever had. We added 1.5 lbs of ground beef instead of quinoa and extra cayenne pepper to spice it up a little more. Fabulous recipe – thanks for sharing! : )
: I made this tonight for dinner, and it is, by far, the best vegetarian chili I have done across. Thank you! The quinoa adds so much texture, and the spice blend is on point. This will be in the rotation, for sure!
noelle: hi, this sounds delicious! I am going away skiing and thought i would make it one night! Do you think could you make this ahead or would the quinoa take over the whole dish? thanks
: It can be made ahead but like you say the quinoa will absorb some of the liquid overnight – you could just add more the next day though if you wanted.
: […] Super delicious and heaty Quinoa Vegetarian Chili […]
Marie: I liked mine much more the next day, so if you make it and aren’t thrilled at first, give it another try! For those on WW, I calculated it at 4 points+ for a 1-cup serving, and it made 12 cups. Note, I skipped the corn. Thanks for this healthy recipe!
: I’m so happy to hear you liked it Alexia and were able to make the changes to suit your personal taste. Thanks for your comment!
Cassie: I absolutely loved this. This was my first attempt at making chilli and I don’t need to look for any other recipes! I didn’t add the can of chillis and had no chilli powder so used extra cayenne pepper, swapped one of the cans of kidney beans for a 4 bean mix that needed using and the end result was delicious, not too spicy. It was less healthy once I dollopped some sour cream in my bowl and ate it with pita bread but amazing comfort food!
MJ: This is so delicious!! I put all the ingredients into My Fitness Pal and I came to a total of 3360 calories for the whole dish. The recipe makes about 14 cups. Basically I saved it to serve 7 people giving them 2 cups of the chili each.
: I eat a plant based diet and many times I find delicious recipes that I need to tweak to make it fit within my diet. There is no tweaking necessary here. Thanks.
Heather: Awesome recipe it was wonderful! I was short 1 can of kidney beans and the corn so I subbed in some shelled Edamame I had leftover in the fridge which was great! Pinning this!!
: I’m so glad you liked it Heather! Thanks for your review!
: Made this tonight and really enjoy it. Thanks for the share. Sorry if you have already answered this above.. do you know how it freezes? Only 2 of us so I definitely have some left overs! I definitely recommend this to anyone wondering if they should make. easy to make & delish.
Valerie: LOVE this recipe. It’s like a summer chili- with a lighter, crisp flavor. Personal preference I add in more black bean, &corn and less kidney beans & water.
Angie: If I make this in the crockpot….do I do it on low or high and for how long?
: If you are not a quinoa lover but love the healthy aspects of it like high protein, this is a fantastic way to incorporate it into your diet. That way you reap the health benefits with great taste. The fiber with all the beans makes this a winner too!
maria: whoops added 2 cups of raw quinoa – now have enough chilli to feed a small army!!!
Melinda greer: Cocoa powder? Can you help to understand why this is added. It seems odd to add a chocolately flavoring to this.
Not critizing, just want to make this and this part throws me for a loop;)
Ashley Carlson: Thank you so much for this recipe! Wow! I made it weeks ago and froze the left overs. Re-heated it last night and it was just as great. I added more spice to it for an extra kick, but you did a perfect job naming the portions and cooking instructions. I know this recipe will be a go-to of mine from now on. Thank you again :)
Faye Miller: we are meat lovers and I wonder if it would be a bad thing to add lean hamburger
Samantha: This is great chili! Just made it and had seconds already. Made it exactly as directed above. Next time I think I’ll add a jalenpeno and a little more chili powder and cayenne for a little extra kick! Thanks so much!
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