Meatless Chili

I made a pot of meatless chili a few days ago. I decided to serve it on a bed of brown rice to help it last longer. My hubby has been on a diet lately, and since I stay pretty busy in the studio most of the time, I haven't been wanting to cook every night. I have been turning towards various soup recipes that are healthy and filling to cover my meals over a week's time.

This chili was a long time coming. I first tried to make chili almost a week ago, and after sauteing my onion and throwing in my ground beef, I realized something was off. Though I had put it in the freezer only a day after the "sell by date," my ground beef had gone bad. And boy was the smell of it awful! I had three candles lit in my kitchen the rest of the evening. Then just a couple days ago I decided I was going to try chili again, this time meatless as I had no more meat in the house and didn't feel like buying any. I was trying to make a healthy chili and figured it was better that I skipped the meat anyway.

I didn't miss the meat any, surprisingly! I loved the complex flavors and textures of the ingredients I did use. This chili was full of dark red kidney beans, black beans, corn and diced tomatoes. It was delicious! When you're looking for a healthy alternative to your traditional chili, try this one out.

Meatless Chili

serves 6-8, or more if served with rice

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 14 oz. can of Swanson reduced sodium beef broth (you could substitute vegetable or chicken broth)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
1 packet of taco seasoning (I used McCormick)
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 15oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups frozen sweet corn kernels

In a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm two tablespoons olive oil. Once oil is hot, add in onion and saute 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until garlic is fragrant. Add salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Add the broth to the pot and stir to combine ingredients. Next add hot sauce, Worchestershire sauce and taco seasoning. Once combined, add your tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beans and corn. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium/medium-low and cook for 30 minutes until flavors have blended and ingredients are warmed through.

Serve atop a bed of brown rice with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

Alternatively, I'm sure you could throw everything in a crock pot, stir, and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 8-10 hours.