• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

cait's plate

helping chronic dieters ditch diet culture, regain pleasure in eating & respect their bodies.

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • RECIPES
  • DITCH DIET CULTURE
    • INTUITIVE EATING SERIES
    • HELPFUL REMINDERS
    • DITCH DIETING
    • TODDLER FEEDING
    • FREE RESOURCES
  • CONTACT
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Instagram
    • YouTube

weeknight veggie chili

6 · Jan 30, 2020 · 4 Comments

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

this easy vegan, dairy & gluten-free chili is loaded with veggies, protein and flavor. coming together in around 30 minutes, it’s a great budget-friendly weeknight dish the whole family will love.

Okay guys, I finally did it! I came up with an easy weeknight veggie chili no crockpot or pressure cooker required!

All you need is 30-40 minutes and in a handful of steps later, the entire dish is done! It’s a great weeknight meal because it doesn’t take a lot of time and only dirties 2 pots!

It’s spicy, but not SO spicy that your little kiddos can’t handle the heat (and you can always add more heat with simple adjustments in the recipe or with hot sauce if you like super spicy).

It’s also budget-friendly thanks to the fact that you can make most of it using canned or boxed pantry items!

Hearty enough to please even the biggest meat eaters, it’s satisfying and filling and only tastes better the more time it marinates in the fridge. It’s also great to make ahead of time then freeze for those really busy weeks (which I know are coming given that the holidays are upon us!).

And perhaps the best thing about this chili is that pretty much anything goes. If you’re not a quinoa fan, you can nix it, stir in rice or farro, wheatberries…whatever you like! You can use whatever veggies you have on hand, stir in ground meat if you prefer…the base flavors are so perfect that you can’t mess it up. So go ahead and make it your own!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
weeknight veggie chili // cait's plate

weeknight veggie chili

★★★★★ 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Cait
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30-40 minures
  • Total Time: 35-45 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings (more or less depending on portion) 1x
  • Category: chili
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

this easy vegan, gluten-free chili is loaded with veggies, protein and flavor. coming together in around 30 minutes, it’s a great weeknight dish the whole family will love.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small or 1/2 large onion, chopped fine
  • 1 orange bell pepper, stemmed, seeded & diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, seeded & diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle in adobo sauce
  • 1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 2 (14 oz) cans fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • Salt & pepper
  • Optional for serving: shredded cheese, plain greek or skyr yogurt, hot sauce, avocado, cilantro and corn chips

Instructions

  1. Place a large dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil.  Once glistening, add onion, bell peppers and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cook until vegetables are softened and lightly brown (~6-8 minutes).
  2. Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, chipotle and a pinch of pepper.  Cook until fragrant (~30 seconds).
  3. Stir in black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth.  Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
  4. Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook until chili is slightly thickened (30-40 minutes).
  5. Add cooked quinoa, salt & pepper to taste.

Notes

  • Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge and 4-6 months in the freezer.

Keywords: chili, vegetarian, beans, vegan, gluten-free

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @caitsplate on Instagram and hashtag it #caitsplate

Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

You Might Also Like:

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quinoa Chili

sweet potato & black bean quinoa chili // cait's plate

Hearty Black Bean, Sweet potato, Quinoa and Turkey Chili

hearty black bean, sweet potato, quinoa and turkey chili - the perfect comforting dish for these chilly days! // cait's plate

6

Related posts:

No related posts.

DAIRY-FREE, DINNER, GLUTEN-FREE, KID FRIENDLY, LUNCH, MEATLESS, PANTRY & FREEZER STAPLES, QUICK & EASY, SOUPS, STEWS & CHILIS, VEGAN, VEGETARIAN, WARMING WINTER RECIPES, WHOLE GRAIN

please note: items in these posts may contain affiliate links which simply means I earn a small amount of money if you click on them (at no additional cost to you).  this money is always re-invested in cait’s plate so I can continue to create free content to you!

Popular Posts

  • cook’s illustrated ultimate chocolate chip cookies (aka -my favorite chocolate chip cookie!) (997)
  • 4-ingredient green smoothie (770)
  • peanut butter and jelly waffle sandwich (377)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Morgan says

    Feb. 27th, 2020 at 11:51 pm

    So flavorful! Good and easy too! I’ll definitely be making this more.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Cait says

      Feb. 28th, 2020 at 8:43 am

      Yay! So glad to hear that! Thank you so much for letting me know! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Carrie says

    Nov. 23rd, 2020 at 9:51 pm

    Excellent! I was looking for inspiration for a healthy soup or chili recipe and this hit the spot! I was able to add in a few other veggies I had in my fridge to use up… I loved the flavor chipotle en adobo adds to this chili. I skipped adding quinoa because I didn’t have any and I didn’t miss it… although I’m sure it would’ve been just fine and bulked it up a bit more. Thanks for another delicious recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Cait says

      Nov. 24th, 2020 at 11:40 am

      Yay! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed! Thank you for the review and great to know that it can be made even without the quinoa!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆
Recipe Rating




Footer

Disclaimer: Statements on this website are meant for general use only and are not intended to diagnose, cure, treat or prevent any disease. Readers are advised to consult with their healthcare providers prior to making any changes to their healthcare management. The information contained in this site is intended to serve as an educational aid and should be used in conjunction with advice from your healthcare professional. It is a supplement, not a substitute, to the knowledge, skill and expertise of healthcare professionals involved in patient care. All information contained in this site is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced without giving appropriate credit to the original source.

Copyright © 2025 · Seasoned Pro