As a busy professional, I want to eat something that's quick and easy to make after a long day at my desk. It's always frustrating when a recipe claims to be quick or easy and then asks you to chop vegetables or begin caramelizing something. For me, that sort of cooking is reserved for the weekend, and on a weeknight, the most I want to be doing is opening a tin of beans or emptying a bag of frozen pre-chopped veg into a pan.
Thankfully, this recipe, which was developed for Fit&Well by dietitian Roxana Ehsani (MS, RD, CSSD, LDN), requires no chopping and no caramelizing. The only caveat is that you will need a slow cooker (like a Crock-Pot) or a pressure cooker, (like an Instant Pot), but if you have one of these in your kitchen arsenal, then you're ready to go.
The beans in this recipe offer a great plant-based source of iron, with 9mg per serving, and a healthy dose of fiber—important for digestive health—at 29g per serving. It also includes 163mg of calcium per serving. With no meat, you can make this for your vegetarian friends—just make sure you check the ingredients lists on your cans before serving to anyone who follows a vegan diet.
Slow cooker vegetarian chili recipe
Ingredients
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups fresh or frozen pre-chopped mirepoix (onion, carrots, celery)
- 2 cans (14.5oz) chopped tomatoes (Ehsani suggests Contadina fire-roasted diced tomatoes with garlic)
- 1 can (15.5oz) no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15.5oz) no-salt-added great northern beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (15.5oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 32oz Kitchen Basics unsalted vegetable stock
- 2tbsp chili powder
- 2tsp ground cumin
- ¼tsp kosher salt
- 1 avocado, for garnish (optional)
Method
- Place all ingredients, except for the avocado, in a slow cooker or pressure cooker.
- If using a slow cooker, place on high and cook for four to five hours. If using a pressure cooker, place on high and cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the cooker and serve garnished with avocado, if desired.
