Kid-Friendly Vegetarian Chilli

Cooler temperatures over here mean a change in meals for us, focusing more on heartier soups and chillis, as well as casseroles and dishes use items that are in season now, like root vegetables. Nothing beats a good chilli on a cool Autumn or Winter night. Since having kids though, we’ve had to tone it down about 5 notches in the spice department since K is not a fan of super spicy dishes. We definitely don’t omit spice completely, but since I want him to enjoy and eat his dinner, we make sure the dishes are always kid-friendly. This recipe is the perfect kid-friendly vegetarian chilli. Every single one of us gobbled it up. It was also really easy to make, with limited prep time. This is key, especially since we spent our whole Sunday afternoon raking up leaves. Oh, the joys of a hard full of huge trees. I’m not complaining, I love our shady, beautiful maples, but man oh man, it means we have a massive amount of leaf bags come Fall! Anyway, back to the chilli. We were so happy to have this waiting for us, the perfect meal to end a busy weekend spent outside. I’m using this awesome vegetarian chilli recipe found on Ricardo Cuisine, but I altered it a bit to make it kid-friendly. I cut out a lot of the spice and added more beans. There is also a vegan option included. I just started checking out Ricardo Cuisine online and I’m loving all the delicious recipes on here, including the many yummy vegetarian dishes in particular. This is definitely our new go-to chilli recipe and I plan on doubling or even tripling the batch next time so we can add this to our favourite veggie freezer meals. Without further ado, here is the ultimate kid-friendly vegetarian chilli recipe!

Kid-Friendly Vegetarian Chilli (from Richardo Cuisine)

Ingredients:

1 can 14 oz (398 ml) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can 14 oz (398 ml) pinto beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can 14 oz (398 ml) black beans beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium-large sized onion, chopped
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup (250 ml) carrots, peeled and diced
3/4 cup (125 ml) diced celery
Salt and pepper
1 cup (250 ml) corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 can 28 oz (796 ml) diced tomatoes
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable broth
1/2 tsp – 1 tsp (15 ml) chili powder
1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cumin
1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried oregano
1 cup (250 ml) cheddar or marble cheese, grated
1/2 cup (125 ml) sour cream or thick plain yogurt

Method:

In a saucepan, brown the onion in the oil. Add the garlic, bell pepper, carrots, celery and chili pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. *I started with 1/2 tsp of chilli powder. You can add more at the end if you find you prefer more spice.
Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, broth, spices and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil and simmer for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and it has the consistency of a thick chili. Stir occasionally.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Taste and add more chilli powder if desired.
Spoon the chili into bowls. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and add a big dollop of sour cream or yogurt. *Note: I love the bread bowls that Ricardo Cuisine uses and if I can find small enough bread loaves, I will definitely do this next time.

*Vegan Option:

To make this chilli vegan, all you need to do is either omit the cheese and sour cream, or opt for vegan cheese (shredded Daiya is our favourite) and a non-dairy yogurt or vegan sour cream.

Oh hi, sour cream dollop.

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Comments

Mums Make Lists (@mumsmakelists) says

October 28, 2015 at 6:47 am

This looks so good but just can’t manage to convince my daughter to like beans 🙁

- Megan says
  
  October 29, 2015 at 2:30 am
  
  Really? Oh no! Maybe she will not notice them with all the other delicious ingredients?
  
Kylie Worthington says

October 29, 2015 at 4:25 pm

Sounds amazing, I LOVE chili. I like the idea to toss carrots in there.

Jessica says

October 29, 2015 at 11:35 pm

I made this! It is delicious!! ?????I like it without the sour cream and cheese.

- Megan says
  
  November 4, 2015 at 3:10 am
  
  Thanks for letting me know. It is definitely a favourite of ours and I agree, you don’t need the sour cream and cheese for it to be delicious!

Kid-Friendly Vegetarian Chilli