Hearty vegetarian chili made with three different beans!
This chili is a combination of the warm and smoky flavors of cumin added to naturally sweet butternut squash and roasted red bell peppers.
Vegetarian Chili Recipe
Looking for a healthy and filling meatless chili recipe? Well, you came to the right place.
This dish is delicious anytime, but we love quick chili recipes when we’re going in different directions and need a stick to your ribs kind of meal.
Did you have little ones that get excited for halloween?
We’re past that stage, but we sure do enjoy seeing who comes to our door for treats!
When my kids were at that fun stage of trick-or-treating, I always made sure Ashley and Sam were filled with a hearty meal like chili before they went out.
They were too excited to eat much, but as long as they had a few bites of something healthy, I felt better about sending them on their candy hunting way!
Meatless Chili
This meatless chili is filling and full of flavor. Not only a great meal for your family, but also tasty party food for a fall gathering!
The basis of this recipe is from one of my Cooking Light Cookbooks (The New Way to Cook Light, 2012), but I made some changes.
First, I added more vegetable broth and butternut squash and then toned down the crushed red peppers.
Finally, I added a couple of tablespoons of cornstarch to thicken up the broth.
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGETARIAN CHILI
- 2 red bell peppers
- extra-virgin olive oil
- medium onion, diced
- ground cumin
- crushed red pepper (optional)
- smoked paprika – adds to the richness of the chili
- garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- vegetable broth
- butternut squash, 1/2 inch cubed
- low salt diced tomatoes
- pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- cornstarch (optional)
UTENSILS NEEDED
- cutting board
- sharp knife
- cookie baking sheet
- small lunch paper bag
- Dutch oven
- measuring spoons and cups
Chili Rice Ghost Toppers
To finish this meal, I topped the chili with rice ghosts!
See how much fun we can have with sticky rice!! I had some Reynolds Kitchen ghost shaped baking liners that I used as a mold.
Don’t worry if molds aren’t available because any cookie cutter shape will work as well.
In addition, you can form the rice with your fingers into any shape you want.
For all the above options you’ll want to dampen your fingers with water or a little oil because it helps keep the rice where you want it. The rice is really STICKY!
The face is made from small pieces of seaweed, which stuck to the rice like glue, so there was no repositioning eyeballs once it was on the ghost!
Wouldn’t rice pumpkins be cute too?!!
Vegetarian Chili – Frequently Asked Questions
Properly stored in an airtight container, vegetarian chili will be fine in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If there is any mold or smells off, then do not consume regardless of how long chili has been refrigerated for.
Yes, chili can be frozen before or after cooking. Place in freezer bags or containers for up to 12 months.
If the thickener used in the chili is not made with flour and made with cornstarch like in this recipe, then yes, vegetarian chili is gluten-free.
Vegetarian Chili
This meatless chili is made with three beans and filling chunks of butternut squash. Warm smoky flavors pair nicely with the natural sweetness from the squash.
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and roasted
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups (1/2 inch cubed) butternut squash
- 1 (28-ounce) low salt diced tomatoes
- 1 (14-15 ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14-15 ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14-15 ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 672mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 8gSugar: 6gProtein: 10g
Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.
What To Serve With Chili
This dish is filling without any additional sides, but you may consider serving the following:
- Low carb cheddar biscuits – Simple and tender low carb grain-free biscuits. Enjoy with a pat of butter.
- Cheddar jalapeno beer bread – Quick bread made without any yeast or proofing time.
- Butter biscuits – Paula Deen’s easy Southern-style biscuits.
- Sweet Southern Cornbread – Made with buttermilk and cooked in a cast iron skillet.
Debra
The chili sounds fabulous! (Big fan of chili) and the little ghosts….too cute!
Joanne/WineLady Cooks
I love vegetarian chili. The butternut squash gives it the heartiness needed. Love the rice ghosts, they are the cutest. You’d make a wonderful grammy, my grandsons would love them. Pinned/shared.
Sandra Shaffer
Awww, thanks, Joanne! One day…I’ll get to make these fun things for little ones again.
Choc Chip Uru
What a gorgeous chilli, so wholesome and bursting with veggies 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Sandra Shaffer
Good stuff for you, that’s for sure! Thank you, CCU 🙂
christine
Sounds delicious and I can’t even get over how stinkin’ cute those rice ghosts are!
Sandra Shaffer
HeeHee – Thanks Christine! The ghosts were fun to make and tasted delish too!
Hotly Spiced
I love your rice ghosts. What a clever idea. They’re gorgeous. Every Friday my son has a swimming lesson from 4.30 – 5.30. He’s refusing to go on Halloween as he’s so worried that by the time he starts trick or treating it will all be over xx
Sandra Shaffer
Halloween is a BIG deal for sure! Every second counts, ya know 😉
Rachael
Those ghosts! be still my heart. I seriously love them, and what a fun recipe.Thanks for sharing. I will be copying you!
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, Rachael! I can’t wait to see your spoktacular ghosts!
Jen
I love that this chili has squash in it – yum! So hearty and delicious! And those rice ghosts are simply awesome! I would have a lot of fun with those 🙂
Sandra Shaffer
Butternut squash is so good in this chili. Adds a little sweetness to the heat.
Michelle @ The Complete Savorist
Those large chunks of squash caught my eye and tantalized my tummy! YUM
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, Michelle! I love all the colors in this chili 🙂
Healing Tomato
I can imagine eating this on cold days and even over Halloween. Great recipe.
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, Rini! It’s going to be made quite a few times for sure!
Sandi Gaertner (@sandigtweets)
Those ghosts are too cute. What a great accompaniment to your chili 🙂
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, Sandi! I got a little attached to those little guys 🙂
Katerina
Great chili recipe! Very light and full of vitamins!
Sandra Shaffer
A healthy chili recipe for sure! Thanks, Katerina!
Bam's Kitchen
How cute are your little sticky rice ghosts! This is a perfect make ahead recipe for the Halloween night or any night that you want some delicious comfort food. Take care
Sandra Shaffer
Hi Bam! Chili is a great dish to make ahead of time. The rice ghosts just add the right amount of starch 🙂
shelby
Love your chili and the sticky rice ghosts are absolutely the coolest!
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, Shelby! It was fun to put the faces on the ghosts, even if they’re a little haphazard!
Kristin @ Dizzy Busy and Hungry!
I love how chunky this chili is, and the rice ghosties are just way too cute!
Sandra Shaffer
Plenty of textures going on leading to a super satisfying chili! Thanks for the nice comment, Kristin 🙂
Heidy @TheMccallumsShamrockPatch
Vegetarian Chili looks and sounds remarkable! I love those little sticky rice ghosts!! Awesome idea!!
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, Heidy! This was a fun recipe to put together!
Norma Chang
This is the second chili recipe I have come across in as many weeks adding butternut squash as one of the ingredients. Very cute rice ghost.
Sandra Shaffer
The cooler months brings out all the chili, and we can’t get enough butternut squash!
Clara
Looks delicious and the ‘ghosts’ were such a cute idea.
Sandra Shaffer
Thanks, Clara! I’m glad you stopped by 🙂
Sheena @ Hot Eats and Cool Reads
Looks like a wonderful chili recipe! And the sticky rice ghosts… how fun and creative!
Sandra Shaffer
The chili is super tasty and the sticky rice ghosts were fun to shape 😉
Jamie
I love the inclusion of squash in this chili- it looks fabulous!
Sandra Shaffer
I love squash too and it is tasty with the beans.