Vegetarian lentil chili
Lentils stand in for ground beef in this thick, smoky chili, so hearty and meaty-tasting that it fools just about anyone.
- 60 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $1.38 a serving
- 360 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups lentils, brown or green, rinsed
- 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes, check the box: most cubes make 2 cups each
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar (optional)
- 1 avocado, diced (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 4 cups water
Each serving has about 360 calories, 19 g protein, 60 g carbs and 7 g fat, and costs about $1.38 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No kidney beans? Pinto beans or black beans work.
- No crushed tomatoes? Diced tomatoes work.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onion, bell pepper and carrot, the garlic, the lentils, and and rinse the beans.
Dice. Dicing means cutting food into small, even cubes, usually a quarter to half an inch across. Pieces the same size cook at the same speed, so nothing burns while the rest catches up.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are little cubes about the size of a chickpea, and they all look close to the same.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion, pepper and carrot, stirring, for 6 minutes, until soft.
Medium heatTimer: 6 min
Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until dark and .
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Add the lentils, crushed tomatoes, water and bouillon cubes and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Turn the heat to low, set the and for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the lentils are tender.
Lid ajar. Lid ajar means resting the lid on the pot slightly off-center, leaving a small gap. Some steam escapes, so the sauce thickens and doesn’t boil over, while most of the heat stays in.
How you’ll know: A thin wisp of steam drifts out of the gap, and the pot bubbles gently without spilling.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Low heatTimer: 30 min
Dolly’s tip: Lentils drink a lot of liquid. If the chili gets thicker than you like before they’re soft, stir in a splash of water.Stir in the beans and simmer for 5 more minutes, until they’re hot.
Low heatTimer: 5 min
Squeeze in the lime, taste for salt, and serve topped with cheddar and avocado.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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