Did you guys know it’s National Chili Day?! (If you didn’t, don’t fret, I only recently found out when researching for this recipe!)
Well, it’s actually this Thursday, but I thought I’d give you some time to prep for the “big” day. Don’t you feel like there’s a “National fill-in-the-blank Day” every week now?
Regardless, I’m happy about it. It’s been such a cold winter in NYC, it felt good to warm up with this recipe.
For most people, chili consists of ground meat, beans, and some sort of hot sauce.
I don’t eat meat.
And you can literally see smoke come out of my ears when I eat anything spicier than black pepper (okay, well not literally, but you get the picture).
So, what am I supposed to do? Just put beans into a pot and call it chili? No. Way.
I set out to make a meatless chili that wouldn’t be lacking in taste. I used lentils which give you that hearty feeling you’d expect to get from ground beef. Not to mention, they’re much healthier than beef with less fat. They even have more protein than beef!
Of course, I put beans and some other veggies as well. Turned out super satisfying (and not just because I ate it underneath my covers watching Netflix while it was 20 degrees and snowing outside!) Like I said, I’m not a fan of spicy food—but if you need to have your tongue feel like it’s on fire—you can definitely spice this up at the end by adding your favorite hot sauce.
Yields: 8 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hr 35 minutes | Total Time: 1 hr 45 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 ½ tbsp. cumin
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup lentils
1, 14 oz can tomato sauce
1, 15 oz can black beans
1, 15 oz can corn
1, 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Stir to coat with oil and cook X ~5 minutes or until tender.
2. Add garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to coat veggies. Cook ~2 minutes (keeping an eye on the garlic, you don’t want it to burn).
3. Add vegetable broth and lentils. Cook, stirring occasionally X 30 minutes over low/medium heat.
4. Add tomato sauce, beans, corn, and peppers. Cook uncovered ~1 hr or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.
The Cook’s 2 Cents:
· Lentils expand when they cook. If you take a gander in the pot while it’s cooking you’ll see some are larger than others. The larger ones are more than likely done. But taste them to be sure before you turn off the heat. They should be “al dente.” What does that mean? The Italian translation is “to the tooth.” A Cook’s Beet translation: They should be firm when initially biting into them, but soft when chewing.
· Although this dish needs minimal attention while on the stove, you do have to stir the pot occasionally. This will ensure that all of the lentils get cooked, not just the ones on the bottom.
· I like to top mine with Greek yogurt, chopped avocado, tomatoes and cheese! (Not included in the nutrition facts)
Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 cup
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Calories: 202 Fat: 6g Sodium: 1086mg Carbs: 26g Fiber: 8g Sugar: 10g Protein: 8g
