Lentil chili with pinto & black beans

This hearty lentil chili is delightfully warming. It’s packed with pinto and black beans. Top it with non-dairy cheese, avocado, and green onions. Then add tortilla chips or crackers for dunking. It’s the ultimate cozy fall food. Vegan & gluten-free.

Like many people, when I stopped eating meat, I started eating a bunch of foods I’d ignored in the past. Amongst them, lentils!

At the time, there was an Armenian restaurant that was a big favorite of ours in Burbank. They made a lentil soup that I’d get every time we went.

Lentils have a heartiness about them and slight tinny-ness in flavor that I really enjoy.

They are downright tasty in their own right in dishes like vegan mushroom soup with lentils or my beloved vegan lentil recipe with caramelized onions.

Lentils work surprisingly well as a meat substitute

The texture is vaguely similar to ground beef. And that metallic edge in flavor works in a similar way.

Also, a half cup serving of lentils has 9 grams of protein and offers 20% of your iron for the day.

When I first went vegetarian, I often added lentils to pasta sauce, in place of ground beef. And lentils work really well as taco meat in a vegan burrito bowl.

Now that there’s a chill in the air, I’m jonesing for hearty, comforting meals like chili.

There are endless ways to make vegan chili – with beans, seitan, tofu, mushrooms… And of course, for a bowl that’s satisfying & full-bodied – lentils all the way!

They have bite & texture that adds welcome body. And they go alongside pinto and black beans beautifully.

What kind of lentils should I use?

For this recipe, I recommend brown lentils. They hold their shape well. French lentils du Puy are a little smaller, but they would also be fine here.

I do not recommend red lentils for this recipe. Red lentils don’t hold their shape when cooked. They become smooth.

They are better in curry lentil soup, where they add extra protein and thickness to the dish. However, when you’re looking for an addition that offers bite, red lentils aren’t the best choice.

(For more information on the difference between lentil types, check out this post from the Kitchn.)

Lentils cook quickly, but pre-cooked are even faster!

Unlike beans, lentils don’t have to be soaked before cooking. Plus, they cook quickly – in about a half an hour. They’re the antithesis of dried beans, which take a lot longer.

However, if you REALLY want to shorten the cooking time for this one pot meal, use pre-cooked lentils!

Trader Joe’s sells steamed lentils in the produce area. (Look in the refrigerated section.)

It comes with 2 ½ cups of lentils in the package, which is exactly what you’ll need for this recipe. So you can just dump in all of the lentils from the package. So easy!

How to make this recipe

Start by bringing a soup pot to a medium heat with oil. Sauté onions and garlic, until they are softened and fragrant.

Then add spices to the pot, and cook with the onions for about 30 seconds.

De-glaze the soup pot with water. Then add fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, pinto beans, salt, mustard, and hot sauce. (Here are my three top hot sauces.)

Don’t like spicy things? Leave out the hot sauce. Prefer it spicier? Add even more!

Bring the chili to a simmer and cook for about fifteen minutes. That way the chili can thicken, and the flavors can blend.

I like to do one more thing at the end to make the chili a little thicker. I use an immersion blender inside of the soup pot for just 3 or 4 seconds.

You don’t want to make a chili bisque. You’re just looking to break up some of the beans and tomatoes.

There were still be plenty of whole beans left in the lentil chili. But by breaking them up some, it adds a thicker viscosity and heartiness to the soup.

And if you decide to use the chili on vegan chili cheese tater tots, a vegan chili dog, or vegan chili dog pizza, the chili itself will be able to hold its own.

Serve with your choice of toppings

• Cilantro
• Green onions
• Vegan sour cream
• Shredded vegan cheese
• Jalapeño pepper slices
• Sliced avocado or easy guacamole
• Tortilla chips or crackers

This warming, full-bodied meal is sure to take the edge off of the wind howling and leaves rustling outside. 

Spicy lentil chili with beans

Hearty lentil chili is loaded with pinto and black beans. It's the kind of full-meal-in-a-bowl that sticks with you on a blustery day.

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: southwestern, Vegan

Keyword: gluten free, lentil stew

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 271kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon organic canola oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons ancho chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can fire roasted chopped tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups (17.6 ounces) cooked brown or green lentils
• 1 1/2 cups black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups pinto beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon stoneground mustard
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce optional
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• Optional toppings: Chopped green onions, cilantro, grated non-dairy cheese, vegan sour cream, jalapeno pepper slices, tortilla chips, and/or crackers

Instructions

• Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with oil. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes, until translucent and fragrant.
• Add coriander, cumin, and ancho chili powder to pot. Saute with onions and garlic for about 30 seconds.
• Then add the following to the soup pot: water, fire roasted chopped tomatoes, lentils, black beans, pinto beans, mustard, hot sauce (if using), and salt.
• Bring the chili to a simmer. Cook for fifteen minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the chili to thicken.
• Optional: After the chili has thickened, use an immersion blender in the soup pot for 3 or 4 seconds to break up some of the tomatoes and beans. It also thickens the soup further. You don't want to blend the chili completely. It should still be chunky. However, a few seconds with the immersion blender gives some added texture and thickens the chili even more. After blending, allow the chili to cook for a few more minutes.
• Serve chili with any or all of the optional toppings.

Notes

If you use Trader Joe's steamed lentils (pictured in this blog post), one 17.6 ounce package is exactly what you'll need for this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 281mg | Potassium: 818mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Vitamin C: 3.9mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 6.1mg

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