We are moving right along with your dinner series! I mean how is it Thursday right now?! This week is going by too fast, I hope you’ve been enjoying all of the recipes we’ve made so far.
Vegan chili skillet with quinoa is here, just in time to warm you up and comfort you during that cool fall weather! Are you ready?!
Chili is the ultimate comfort food for me this time of year. I make a batch of my Grandma’s chili every season, without fail. Maybe it’s the nostalgia of eating my Grandma’s chili when I was a kid or maybe it’s because there is nothing like a hearty bowl filled with warming spices that I can’t get enough of. I love that chili so much, but it does take a little time of sauteing and simmering away – which is the ultimate food therapy for me. You should totally go make that chili when you want to slow down and take some time to enjoy the process of cooking your food. Just do me a favor, don’t laugh at the photos, okay?
Okay, maybe you can laugh…a little. But trust me, the quaility of photos does not reflect the quality of the recipe.
I enjoy all of the chili flavors so much that I wanted to come up with a chili recipe that can be made on a weeknight, in only 30 minutes. One that doesn’t require a ton of stirring and simmering.
Enter my vegan chili skillet with quinoa!
Before you get all excited to have a 30 minute, quick and easy weeknight chili let me clarify that this chili isn’t as soup-y as your traditional chili. Think hearty chili with all the warming, spicy flavors only without as much liquid. Yet, it still has a soup vibe. It’s kind of a wannabe soup, somewhere in the middle.
And it is pure delicious warming, fall comfort food all the way!
Vegan chili skillet is packed with all of those chili essentials: onion, a little heat from a pepper, garlic, chili powder, tomatoes, kidney beans, green bell peppers, celery for crunch, and quinoa…in place of ground beef (we’ll talk about that in a moment). The result is a thick, hearty chili that is bursting with tomato-y goodness, crunchy celery, meaty kidney beans, chewy quinoa. Top it with anything you would normally top chili with: lime wedges, tortilla chips, cilantro, avocado slices, and even cheese or sour cream – if not vegan, of course.
Vegan chili skillet is going to make your soul so happy!
I wanted to include one vegan recipe during this dinner series for two reasons. 1) To give everyone a chance to able to participate in this dinner series. 2) I try to eat vegan meals once in a while, it’s healthy for us to incorporate more plants into our diet and it’s good for the environment to eat less meat. You know me, I am pretty much a wannabe vegetarian.
To all of the meat eaters out there, I get it. I have spent most of my life feeling like a meal isn’t complete without some kind of meat or eggs or cheese or animal byproduct in it. When I would try to eat a vegan meal I would never feel satisfied, I would be hungry again within 3 seconds after eating. As I have continued to learn more about the nutritional value of ingredients I have been able to find the combo of foods that help me to feel satisfied from eating a vegan meal.
This vegan chili skillet is packed with protein and fiber both from the quinoa and the red kidney beans, both of which are necessary to keeping you fuller longer.
This recipe is even husband approved! Paul loved this dish, he didn’t miss the meat one bit and didn’t get hungry until the next meal. That’s saying a lot because Paul is ALWAYS hungry…he was blessed/cursed with an insanely fast metabolism. If he can eat a vegan meal than anyone can.
Vegan Chili skillet with quinoa is here for you, vegan or not, it won’t disappoint your taste buds or your tummy.
YOU GUYS! Tomorrow is our last day of recipes for our 30 minutes, 1 pan dinner series! Be excited because we are ending on a high note with a super delicious and easy recipe that’s a little extra special…because Friday!
Friends, if you make any of these recipes then thank you so much, you rock. Don’t forget to snap a picture and tag it using #30Mins1PanDinner so that I can see what you come up with. AND to spread the encouragement! See you tomorrow! 🙂
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Vegan Chili Quinoa Skillet
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 5 to 6 1x
- Category: Entree, 30 minutes, 1 pan
- Cuisine: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy Free
Description
A quick and easy vegan chili that only requires 30 minutes and 1 pan. Perfect for a weeknight meal. Satisfying and hearty!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 green bell peppers, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- optional : 1 to 2 peppers, in adobo sauce, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 15 ounce cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 3/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth or chicken broth (if not vegan)
- 3/4 cup raw qunioa
- 2 15 ounce cans red kidney beams, drained and rinsed
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- salt to taste
- Options for toppings
- Avocado slices
- Tortilla chips
- hot sauce
- lime wedges
- cilantro
- shredded cheese (if not vegan/dairy free)
- sour cream (if not vegan/dairy free)
Instructions
- Saute veggies and spices: Heat a large skillet with high sides and a tight fitting lid over medium heat. Heal up oil. Add onions and green peppers, saute for 3 minutes, or until tender. Add the garlic and chilies (optional), saute until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin saute for 1 more minute, or until the spices are fragrant.
- Cook the quinoa: Add the canned tomatoes, veggie/chicken, stock, quinoa, drained kidney beans, and celery. Stir to combine, turn the heat to high and cover the skillet with the lid. Allow to come to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 to 15 minute, or until the quinoa has absorbed most of the liquid and is tender. The chili shouldn’t be as soupy as your traditional soup chili, but if you want it to be more soupy then add a little more broth. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Serve: Serve immediately and top with desired toppings (suggestions listed above). Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 1 week. This meal would also freeze really well.
Notes
Prep ahead tips:
-chop onion
-chop bell peppers and store with a paper towel (I wouldn’t normally recommend chopping bell peppers in advance because they get slimy, but in this case since we are sauteing them and simmering them in liquid they should be okay)
-chop celery
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