Quick, easy and tasty. That’s how I would sum up this vegetarian black bean chili. Start to finish in 30 minutes. Whip it up on a weeknight and make a big batch, you’ll want leftovers tomorrow!

Ready for more chili? It’s Jason again, with the third installment of our four week Chili series. So far we have had our white bean turkey chili and our smoky chipotle chili. This week we are posting something for our vegeterian followers.

This one is really stretching the meaning of the term chili. Purists will scoff at this recipe, but as you know, at GypsyPlate we sometimes get a little off the beaten path with our recipes. As per the Chili Appreciation Society International, chilis submitted in official competitions must have no beans. That’s interesting, growing up we always used beans. Oh well, this isn’t for a competition, it’s for you!

The origins of this particular dish date back about 15 years ago. My mom went nuts over Panera Breads black bean soup. She found a copycat recipe and made it all the time for a while. Although that fad is long gone, I decided to revive the idea for this series and spruce it up a bit. A few ingredient variations, a bit of chili powder, and now I present you with vegetarian black bean chili.

• Black beans – I am using canned, but you can always prepare dried ahead of time if you like.
• Diced tomatoes – Fire roasted.
• Tomato paste – It gives a nice richness of flavor.
• Bell peppers – A mix of green and red to make it colorful.
• Onion – Optional.
• Garlic – We love garlic.
• Vegetable stock – If you aren’t concerned with making it vegetarian, you can always substitute chicken stock.
• Chili powder and cumin – Of course.
• Salt – To taste.

This one is nice and simple, it’s a great weeknight option. Heat a little oil in a large pot (I am using a dutch oven). Dice up you peppers, onions and garlic, add them to the pot and sauté about 5 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, at least 20 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and spices to your liking.

That’s it? Yep!

As I have mentioned in my other posts in this series, shredded cheese was always my go to chili topping. That’s still a great option here. But my favorite topping for this variation is sour cream. It goes so well with black beans.

A little freshly diced cilantro is another nice addition. Some of you may consider chopped green onions. For sides, we went with cornbread and a green salad. Unlike our other chilis, I would say that cornbread is optional. A nice crusty regular bread, like our No Knead Bread, goes great as well.

Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze 3-4 months in an airtight container. If it thickens up too much, just add a little water when reheating.

Well, I guess there’s not much left to say. Easy recipe, easy post. As simple as it is, it’s mighty tasty. Even Alpana scoffed a little when I mentioned a meatless chili, but she ended up going back for seconds. Next Monday I’ll be wrapping up the series with my Ultimate Chili. See you then!