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Farm Fare: Vegetarian Chili

Looking for a cozy meal to warm you up in the winter time? Chili is a great choice. Our vegetarian chili is sure to warm your heart and fill your belly. Plus, it’s vegan if you don’t add any cheese on top! Give this versatile recipe a try for your next game night or quick and easy weeknight meal.

Gather your ingredients:
¼ cup chopped onions
¼ cup chopped green pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 cup spaghetti sauce
2 cups black beans
1 cup baked beans
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp crushed red pepper

Follow these easy directions:
1. Sauté onions and peppers in olive oil until tender
2. Combine the ingredients and spread in a 13” x 9” baking dish
3. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes

Simple and delicious!

Leave a comment to let us know how it turned out for you!

8 Comments

  1. Joanne Choly on April 22, 2020 at 9:47 pm

    I was running late getting dinner started. I had read this recipe the other day, and for some reason thought of it. I had to alter the recipe to substitute what we have in this house and to allow for my food allergies — most canned baked beans have vegetable gums, which I do not tolerate. So, here is what I used (additional comments below)….

    ¼ cup chopped onions………………………..I chopped and sauteed one medium-small onion
    ¼ cup chopped green pepper…………I chopped and sauteed five small red, orange and yellow peppers
    ¼ cup olive oil…………………………………………..I did not measure the oil, just sauteed with some olive oil
    2 cups diced tomatoes…………………………2 cups of canned diced tomatoes, somewhat drained
    1 cup spaghetti sauce…………………………..I forgot to put this in!!!!
    2 cups black beans………………………………..2 1.5.5 oz. cans black beans, somewhat drained
    1 cup baked beans…………………………………1 15.5 oz can of small red beans, somewhat drained (I would have used navy, cannellini, or pinto beans if I had them)
    ½ tsp cumin……………………………………………….1/2 tsp cumin
    ½ tsp chili powder…………………………………..1/2 tsp red chili powder
    ½ tsp crushed red pepper………………….about 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (nothing against red, just did not have any)

    To make up for using red beans instead of baked beans, I added…
    2 T tomato ketchup
    1/4 c molasses
    4 T brown sugar
    2 t apple cider vinegar
    3 or 4 grinder turns of salt (maybe 1/4 t?)
    1 t Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) (Could use Worcestershire sauce)

    I mixed everything well in a mixing bowl, and turned out the mixture into a 9 x 13″ glass baking dish; baked 35 minutes at 400 ‘F

    I served with a soft brown rice and crumbled goat cheese (montechevre)

    Four final comments:
    – The chili was delicious, and so I had two helpings; Barb ate every last bean and grain of rice
    – The chili was a little bit more liquid than I prefer, so I will probably drain the beans and tomatoes a bit more next time — I will definitely make again soon
    – Since the 46.5 oz of beans are more volume than 3 cups total, I might measure them and try to scale up the cumin, chili powder, pepper, and maybe even the tomatoes next time; will use the crushed red pepper instead of black when I have some
    – Not sure whether I will add tomato sauce, since we liked this without it; If I do use, I will use a basil or garlic marinara sauce

    Was a nice meal for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day!

    • Jennifer on April 23, 2020 at 8:52 am

      Thank you so much for sharing your modified recipe. I am happy to hear you were able to modify and make it delicious. I am sure other will benefit from your suggestions. I hope your enjoy this recipe again and again!

  2. Laurie Angle on May 1, 2020 at 7:38 pm

    Made this for dinner tonight (May 1). It was delicious and brought back such memories of EHF Saturday night dinners. I am wondering how you are making out in these extraordinary times and hoping you are all well. Thank you for 15 years of great vacation fun, friends and memories!

    • Jennifer on May 1, 2020 at 7:55 pm

      I am happy you enjoyed some EHF chili tonight. We can’t wait to be serving it on Saturday nights again. We are all healthy and working through being closed. We really miss our farm families and look forward to seeing everyone soon. I hope you and your family are all well. Stay safe.

  3. Pat giles on May 6, 2020 at 6:13 pm

    Made the delicious cookies for a cousins 24th birthday . Everyone raves about the cookies!
    Just put the chili in the oven. I added more peppers and onions and smoky paprika, cayenne and Mexican chili powder. I love the “ cook in the oven “aspect.
    We keep talking about coming back
    My brother in law says his mouth is watering at the prospect!
    Hope you are all okay!!
    Thank you so very much for sharing the recipes
    I sent them to at least 8 friends! I’m

    • Jennifer on May 6, 2020 at 7:19 pm

      I can smell the chili now! Sounds like you made some delicious modifications. Everyone is well here, just missing our farm family. We hope to see you and your family soon. Stay well.

  4. Joanne Choly on May 8, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    Hello, again! I made farm vegetarian chili a second time, last night — again with the modifications I described above. Again we loved it. Again I had two helpings. I made some additional modifications, including some I had suggested I might try, and I thought folks might like to know how the two dishes compared…

    Keeping all else the same as I used last time (do see what I posted), here is what I did differently…
    – Used a larger onion, medium to medium large
    – Used more small red, orange, and yellow peppers — seven
    – Added three cups of canned diced red tomatoes, instead of 2 cups
    – Left out the 2 t apple cider vinegar
    – Added 3/4 tsp cumin instead of 1/2 tsp
    – Added 3/4 tsp red chili powder instead of 1/2 tsp
    – Added a bit more than 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, probably not quite 3/4 tsp
    – Served with powdered Pecorino Romano cheese, instead of Montechevre

    Here is my assessment…
    – The increased onions, peppers, and tomatoes were noticeable, visually as well as in texture and flavor, and made for a lovely dish all around
    – The increased spices were noticeable in flavor, moving the chili from mild almost into the realm of what I call medium spicy

    For next time…
    – If I am feeling more like beans, my original amounts of onion, pepper, and tomato are perfectly fine; if I want a more varied dish, I will again use the large amounts
    – I prefer the smaller amounts of spices and will return to them; those who like a slightly hotter chili, definitely use the larger amounts; hotter still? try even a tsp of cumin, chili powder, and maybe even the pepper
    – I will add the 2t apple cider vinegar in the future
    – The cheese will depend on what we have on hand; of the two I have used so far, I prefer the crumbled Montechevre with this chili, but both were tasty
    – I served a soft brown rice with the chili both times, and I will continue to do so — it pairs nicely

    And into the future…
    – Hmm? Now, what is the perfect salad appetizer for chili?

    BTW…
    – Three 15.5 oz. cans of beans are approximately 5 cups of cooked beans
    – The recipe, as I make it, yields at least 6 generous servings

    Farm chili, with modifications, will be on our monthly menu for the foreseeable future!

    • Jennifer on May 8, 2020 at 4:46 pm

      Thank you so much for your updated comments. I am sure many will find this information helpful. Sounds like you are working your way toward perfecting this dish to suit your food allergies and your taste. Enjoy!

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