Vegan Chipotle Chili

Vegan Chipotle Chili

This is the best vegan/vegetarian chili ever! I make a lot of chilis and prefer vegetarian chilis, but they don’t have the heartiness that a meat chili has from the ground beef or turkey in it. This chili has bulgur wheat in it which add the texture that is missing from other vegetarian options. If you’ve never cooked with bulgur wheat before, it’s a grain that has a similar texture to couscous and is high in fibre. I buy it at Bulk Barn. You can top this chili with shredded cheddar cheese, or if you’re keeping it vegan, avocado and green onions. I’ve also eating this chili with corn chips and highly recommend that!

This recipe is written for a slow cooker, but I have instructions for cooking this stove top as well right below.

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INGREDIENTS

1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp. olive oil (optional)
2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 can crushed tomatoes (796 ml or 28-oz.)
2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup bulgur wheat
3 chipotle chiles from adobo sauce (see note)
2 tbsp. chili adobo sauce (from the chili pepper can)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. salt

Optional Toppings
Avocado
Green onions
Shredded cheddar cheese
Corn chips

YIELD

6 servings

TIME

• Prep - 10 minutes

• Cook - 4-6 hours

TOOLS

• Slow cooker* if you don’t have a slow cooker see below!

DIRECTIONS

1. Dice the onion and the chili peppers.

2. I recommend frying the onion for 3-5 minutes on low heat with some olive oil before adding to this chili. Otherwise your onions will retain their crunchiness when cooked in the slow cooker. This is optional if crunchy onions don’t bother you.

3. Add to slow cooker and mix until combined.

4. Cover and cook on low heat for 6 hours or high heat for 4 hours.

ADAPTATIONS

*Reduce the amount of chipotles you are adding if you don’t like things spicy. If you want them extra spicy, add 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper.

STOVE TOP DIRECTIONS

1. Dice the onion and the chili peppers.

2. In a large dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat.

3. Fry onions for 2 minutes, add chopped garlic and fry for an additional minute.

4. Add the other ingredients, in the order they are written.

5. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low to simmer. Cover and cook, stirring every 5 minutes or so to prevent the bulgur wheat from sinking to the bottom and burning.

6. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the bulgur wheat is cooked. You will know the bulgur wheat is cooked when it is fluffy, similar to couscous.

Adapted from Naturally Ella.