I’m bringing you this chili recipe today for a few different reasons. One: because chili is freaking awesome and everyone should have a great go-to chili recipe!
Two: because it has been raining non-stop all day today and what a better dish to sit on the couch under a warm blanket watching Friends re-runs with than chili? Three: because this is how I am slowly dipping my spoon into the waters of fall recipes. To me, chili is more of a fall/winter dish, but I’ve also added in some corn, zucchini, and fresh tomatoes to give it a little touch of summer. And, four: because football season has started and everybody knows that football and chili go hand in hand.
To be honest, I’m not a huge football fan myself, but I happened to marry one and I promise that I’m trying to enjoy it more. But, after 7 years, I still much prefer the snacks that go along with watching football than the actual football watching itself. I also use it as my excuse to have wine on Sunday. Every once in a while I try to impress my husband with a few important facts that I’ve picked up about some of the football players, such as: Tom Brady has two children with Giselle Bunchen, and Croy Bierman just got a vasectomy because he now has six kids with Kim Zolciak. You know, all the important stuff! Thankfully my husband is a reality show addict as much as I am and really does appreciate my anecdotes.
Another reason why I love chili so much is because it is one of my “everything but the kitchen sink” recipes. Which literally means that when I’m making chili, I pretty much just ransack the refrigerator and pantry and throw in all kinds of different ingredients. I usually use the same base and the same spices, but look out when it comes to everything else, because you never know what you are going to get! And I mean that in the tastiest way possible!
While I’m ready to welcome fall into my life with open arms, I just can seem to shake the summer heat that seems to be following me around. For that reason, I used the usual chili vegetables, like onions, garlic, and peppers, but I also threw in some corn, zucchini, and fresh tomatoes (you could also used canned tomatoes).
My husband likes his chili to be really thick, so I laid off the broth a little bit and I loaded it up with 3 kinds of beans and tons of vegetables. Not only is chili a hearty and filling dish, but it is also so versatile. You can eat it with cornbread, fritos, or biscuits. You can top it with sour cream, cheese, onion, cilantro, and avocados. And, you can also bake it in between two layers of cornbread (recipe coming sometime this season!).
Whether you are looking for a game day snack or just a good ole fashioned chili recipe, you have come to the right place and I hope you enjoy it! P.S. it is also a great recipe to get your loved ones to eat a few more vegetables!
Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you! You most likely already have the spices in your pantry and you can use any vegetables you like š
Print
Three Bean Loaded Veggie Chili
Ingredients
- 3 – 15 ounce cans of beans, rinsed and drained, I used: pinto beans, black beans & kidney beans
- 2 large roma tomatoes, diced – or 1 –15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups of vegetable broth
- 1 – 6 ounce can of tomato paste
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup diced carrots
- 1/2 cup diced zucchini
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced*
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced*
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced*
- 1 large hatch green chili, diced (optional)
- diced jalapeno, to taste
- 2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 small pinch brown sugar or coconut sugar
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- olive oil
- Optional toppings: cilantro, green onion, red onion, avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream, Greek yogurt, vegan sour cream, cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. Add in the onion, garlic, diced peppers, carrots, and a pinch of salt. Stir for 5 minutes, until vegetables are beginning to soften. Next, add in beans, corn, tomato and all of the seasonings. Stir together and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato paste and then add the vegetable broth. Mix until everything is combined. Reduce chili to a simmer and simmer for at least 20 minutes, but can be left on the stove for a couple of hours to help develop the flavors.
- Spoon chili into serving bowls and add toppings of your choice!
Notes
*You don’t have to use all 3 colors of bell pepper, just use the equivalent of 1 1/2 large bell peppers.
- Category: Entree, Soup, Gluten Free, Vegan
Talk to the foot!
This is very similar to how I make my chili Mrs. She likes food, so I know it’s good! I’ve never put zucchini in my chili or carrots but, I just had some salsa last week that I thought was better than my own (I never say that) and it had zucchini in it, sooooo, I’ll be trying it with zucchini as well! Thanks for the recipe, never too smart to learn! š
P.S. I use up to six beans= I start with Mrs. Grimes chili beans with a ratio of two (Mrs. Grimes) to one of each of, kidneys, black, white, pinto and garbanzo. All are optional but I put them in because I can! LOL
One more thing Izzy (I just figured out your name), I am not a vegetarian so it will also be loaded with meat, what ever meat for me, but I usually use beef, venison, or pork sausage! Hope that doesn’t offend you, I love meat and so does my family! God Bless!
I’ve never tried salsa with zucchini either, sounds interesting! My husband loves meat, so I’m not offended at all š I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Gahhh I’m so with you there on not giving a heck for football—but the football FOOD? That’s a whole ‘nother story, obv. š Chili is a must for football night around here and I am LOVING this veggie-loaded version—Super thick and loaded with all the above = the only way I’ll take my chili. š Can’t wait to try this, Izzy!
You are so right, Sarah, the football food makes sitting through all the boring games totally worth it! Chili is such a must, for football night and for all nights! I’m so glad you love this veggie loaded chili and I hope you enjoy it š
What a cute Cheeto pic! And your chili looks so fresh and healthy, I enjoy scooping up chili in tortilla chips just to cancel out any of the health benefits š
And I’m glad I’m not the only one that rots my brain on reality tv!
Haha, thanks Katie! I enjoy scooping up chili with a bunch of tortilla chips too! This time I made my own so I could tell myself it was a little healthier š I’m addicted to reality tv š
I like a really thick chili too! The colors of all those vegetables are gorgeous!
Thick chili is the best, I’m so glad you like it too, Christin!
So many gorgeous photos of this delicious recipe. My favorite might be the shot of all the vegetables in the huge pot not yet cooked down. It really just goes to show how healthy the recipe really is! Thank you for sharing! I tend to be limited in what I put in my chili… but why? WHY! No more I tell you, no more! Pinned x 3! š
Hi Meggan! Thank you so much! I think I’m the opposite, I tend to get carried away when it comes to what I put in my chili, but it all seemed to work really well this time! I’m so glad you liked it š