Chunky Vegetarian Chili
This post has been sponsored by Pure Farmland. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This spicy vegetarian chili recipe is made with THREE different beans, loads of vegetables and seasonings, and a plant-based protein starter to make it extra chunky.
A lot of visitors here have been asking for a good vegetarian chili recipe. I have a lot of different chili recipes on the site but realized, yep, I do not have any vegetarian versions. Now I do! Sometimes I like my chili nice and chunky and lucky for me, I’ve found the perfect addition to this particular recipe: Pure Farmland® Plant-Based Simply Seasoned Protein Starter.
What I love about Pure Farmland® Plant-Based Simply Seasoned Protein Starter is that it is a plant-based product and a great source of protein made with natural flavors. It’s a good value for the price, especially if you’re experimenting with vegetarianism or consider yourself a flexitarian.
It’s important to me because it gives me a great option for my vegetarian guests. I’m all about great flavor, no matter who I’m cooking for.
I picked up my Pure Farmland® Plant- Based Simply Seasoned Protein Starter from my local Mariano’s.
Head on down to your local Mariano’s or local Kroger store to grab some for yourself. You’ll be happy you did! Let me know how you like it because I’m extremely interested.
Let’s talk about how we make my chunky vegetarian chili recipe, shall we?
Ingredients Needed
- 1 tablespoon, olive oil
- 1 medium onion, rough chopped
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers, chopped into large chunks
- 1-2 serrano peppers, chopped (optional for more heat)
- 2 large bell peppers, chopped into 1-inch chunks (I’m using 2 large red bells)
- 16 ounces Pure Farmland® Plant-Based Simply Seasoned Protein Starter
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 can (15 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 ounces) pinto beans beans, drained and rinsed
- 30 ounces fire roasted tomatoes (2 cans)
- 2 Roma tomatoes, rough chopped
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce, pick your favorite
- 3 tablespoons chili powder (or 4-5 tablespoons for more pronounced flavor)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon spicy chili flakes (if desired)
Chunky Vegetarian Chili Recipe Steps
First, heat the oil in a large pot. Then, cook the onion and peppers for 5 minutes until crisp-tender.
Add the Plant-Based Protein Starter.
Break apart with a wooden spoon and cook until the product browns a bit, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Stir in the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, hot sauce, cumin, chili powder and spicy chili flakes.
Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until heated through. You can simmer longer to let the flavor develop even more. I usually like to simmer for at least 1 hour.
Serve with your favorite garnish!
Boom! All done, my friends! There you have it—a crazy flavorful, easy-to-make vegetarian chili that is nice and chunky and super tasty. I do hope you enjoy it!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- The Beans. I’m using 3 different types of beans for this recipe: dark red kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans. You can use a single type of bean if you’re looking for a more uniform color or use other beans to your preference. If you have a favorite chili bean, go for it! I enjoy the color variation.
- The Seasonings. I’m all about this homemade chili powder recipe, but you can use your own favorite personal blend. There are some great ones out there. If you’re in the mood for experimenting, try a blend of ancho and guajillo chili powders. It’s a wonderful combination. The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of chili powder, but you can include more for a more pronounced flavor.
- The Peppers. I’ve chosen a combination of bell peppers, jalapeno peppers and serrano peppers. Together, they offer a great combination of texture, flavor and heat. If you’re looking for a milder chili, skip the serranos and core out the jalapenos, or skip them altogether and only use bell peppers. If you’re looking for more heat, feel free to incorporate spicier peppers, you crazy chilihead, you. You know who you are! Ghost peppers, anyone?
- The Hot Sauce. Hot sauce is not required for this recipe, but it is highly recommended! Use your favorite hot sauce. I like to let a few tablespoons (or more!) simmer with the chili a while, then drizzle a bit more onto the bowl of chili just before serving. Hot sauce and chili are best friends.
- The Toppings. My favorite toppings are fresh chopped herbs and spicy chili flakes. And hot sauce, of course! You have so many great chili topping options, though. Feel free to add a dollop of sour cream or crema, a few crunchy tortilla chips or strips, crackers or some cheese. Whatever you love!
Shout out once again to Pure Farmland® Plant-Based Simply Seasoned Protein Starter for making this recipe stand out. It helps with that overall “chunk factor” that I love and brings in lots of extra flavor! I love it.
Try Some My Other Popular Chili Recipes
- Slow Cooker Southwest Beef Chili
- White Bean Chicken Chili
- Homemade Roasted Tomatillo Pork Chili
- Pork Chili with Roasted Red Hatch Chili Peppers
- Chili Colorado
- Texas Chili
- Cincinnati Chili
- Chili Verde
- Easy Black Bean Chili
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Head on down to your local Mariano’s or local Kroger store to grab some for yourself. You’ll be happy you did! Let me know how you like it because I’m extremely interested.
Click the button below to add all of my recipe’s ingredients to your shopping cart!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil olive oil
- 1 large onion rough chopped (I used a red onion)
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers chopped into large chunks
- 1-2 serrano peppers chopped (optional for more heat)
- 2 large bell pepper chopped into 1-inch chunks (I'm using 2 large red bells)
- 16 ounces Pure Farmland® Plant- Based Simply Seasoned Protein Starter
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 can 15 ounces red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can 15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can 15 ounces pinto beans beans, drained and rinsed
- 30 ounces fire roasted tomatoes 2 cans
- 2 Roma tomatoes rough chopped
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce pick your favorite
- 3 tablespoons chili powder or 4-5 tablespoons for more pronounced flavor
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon spicy chili flakes if desired
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Heat the oil in a large pot, then cook the onion and peppers for 5 minutes, until crisp-tender.
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Add the Plant-Based Protein Starter. Break apart with a wooden spoon and cook until the product browns a bit, about 10 minutes.
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Add the garlic and cook another minute.
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Stir in the beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, hot sauce, cumin, chili powder and spicy chili flakes.
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Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until heated through. You can simmer longer to let the flavor develop even more. I usually like to simmer for at least 1 hour.
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Serve with your favorite garnish!
Makes about 10-12 servings.
Heat Factor: Medium, though you can up the heat factor with spicier chili peppers or with the addition of spicy chili powder or flakes, or your favorite hot sauce.
NOTE: Calorie and nutritional values are approximate.
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