Last week, some friends and I made a bunch of food for a big crowd. We had lots of yummy stuff, but interestingly (at least to me), the most-requested recipe was the chili. I was a little surprised because this wasn’t the “fry in lotsa fat, spike with weird ingredients like chocolate and coffee, stock with enough hot peppers to burn your insides, and cook for 96-hours” kind of chili.
In fact, my chili recipe is a simple one that calls for basic ingredients, uses very little refined ingredients (like oil), and employs herbs rather than spices for superb flavor (and gentleness to your stomach lining). And even though your tongue with not be on fire when you’re done with a bowl of this chili, it doesn’t lack in deliciousness.
Besides being gentle to your stomach, some of the other advantages of a mild chili recipe are:
1.) You don’t have to wear rubber gloves while cooking it.
2.) Your kids will like it.
3.) You’ll still be able to actually taste the scrumptious chili when you take your last bite.
Slimming Chili
What’s more, this very satisfying winter warmer offers a whopping 14 grams of fiber per bowl – more than twice as much as your average bowl of chili! Beans are such an amazing fat-fighter and are a great addition for a healthy weight loss program.
Canned Beans vs Home-cooked Beans
I rarely use canned beans because beans in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot are just too easy. However, I usually do use canned beans in this recipe for two reasons. The first is that canned beans hold their shape better in this luscious dish. The second is that I like two or three kinds of beans in my chili, and using canned beans simplifies this. Feel free to use your homemade slow cooked beans if you’d like.
No-Alarm Chili
One more thing. If you’re one of those people who are vehemently opinionated about how to make the perfect chili and can’t believe I would even think of posting a chili recipe without chili peppers … relax. Take a deep breath. It’ll be ok. 😉
Have a bowl of chili.
Vegan No-Alarm Chili
This mild chili recipe employs healthful herbs instead of spices for the chili flavor. The seasoning measurements in this recipe may seem like a lot, but they’re not a typo. You will be pleasantly surprised at the rich flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 3 - 4 cloves garlic, minced (See note #2.)
- 3 cups (one 28-ounce can) crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups (one 15-ounce can) diced tomatoes with juice (See note #2.)
- 1 1/2 cups (one 15-ounce can) kidney beans, drained
- 1 1/2 cups (one 15-ounce can) pinto beans or kidney beans, drained
- 1 1/2 cups (one 15-ounce can) black beans, drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon honey (or another sweetener to make this vegan)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a soup pan, sauté onion and pepper in oil over medium heat until onions begin to look translucent.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1 additional minute.
- Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Remove bay leaves. Season with salt to taste.
Notes
1. If you like a garlicky chili, add another clove or two of garlic.
2. This chili has a thick consistency. If you like a juicier chili, add another can of diced tomatoes.
3. This chili is delicious served with my Soy-Free Vegan Sour Cream.
The “no-alarm” in the title made me laugh. It looks great! I like myself some spicy food, but on the other hand I definitely get your point that the heat isn’t the only thing that matters.
Wow! This is the best chili I’ve ever had! You are right, it was so flavorful I didn’t miss the heat.
I’m not one that likes my tongue to be on fire when I eat chili, so this is perfect. Not only is it NOT spicy hot; it’s very, very tasty. I love it. And hubby, Mr. Picky, likes it too! You’ve got a winner here.
I absolutely love this recipe and it is in our rotation. I make it year-round. It is incredibly versatile, and I will usually add frozen corn and steamed broccoli or green beans. (I steam the beans or broccoli first before adding.) We prefer “no heat” in our food preferences, so this is perfect for us. I have been known to eat the leftover cold chili straight out of the refrigerator…I have no shame.
Thank you so much for the sweet comment, Karen. I’m thrilled you like the chili. The addition of corn, broccoli, or green beans sounds delicious! Putting that on my “try soon” list 🙂
Thanks!
Jennifer