Receta Vegetarian Lentil Chili ~ A Crock Pot Recipe
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Vegetarian Lentil Chili ~ A Crock Pot Recipe
Since lentils are cheap and healthy, I've been looking for new ways to prepare them. I've made lentil soup a few times and the recipe I use makes a lot. Normally, that's not a problem. Except in this case, Joe doesn't care for the lentil soup and that's a lot of soup for just me. Even if I freeze it, it still seems to last forever.
I was happy to find this recipe for Vegetarian Chili. Since I'm always looking to try new chili recipes, this seemed to be right up my alley!
I started off by following the recipe as written, substituting the liquid for organic tomato soup used in the original recipe. After letting it cook for a few hours, I adjusted the recipe slightly, to make it a better fit for our tastes.
Vegetarian Lentil Chili
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. bag of lentils
- 1 cup dry pinto beans, soaked overnight
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 can diced tomatoes with mild chilis
- 2 chipotle peppers in 2 tsp. adobo sauce
- 32 oz. vegetable broth
- 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/2 can tomato paste
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup mild salsa
- 2 Tbs. Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 Tbs. cumin
- 2 Tbs. molasses
- 2 Tbs. cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
Cook on high for one hour.
Reduce heat to low and cook for 10-12 hours, stirring occasionally.
Notes:
We both enjoyed the way this chili turned out. Good thing, since it made A LOT!
This took longer to cook than I anticipated. Even with soaking the beans ahead of time, it took a while for them to start to soften up, then even longer to get them to the texture I desired. Next time, I will let this cook over night as stated in the original recipe. Or, I will cook my beans and lentils ahead of time, then combine in the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients.
We've been trying to incorporate more meatless meals into our weekly menu plans. Not only is it healthy, it also helps keep food costs down.
Serving this over rice or a baked potato or even cornbread really stretches this pot of chili into several meals, depending on the size of your family.
This recipe is a definite keeper. I love that it's frugal and contains ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It's also very filling and healthy.