This chili is hearty, filling and only takes about 15 minutes of prep time. It's a perfect weeknight dinner that will satisfy everyone. It can also easily be frozen so it's a great make-ahead meal for all of you meal preppers.
I must admit – I'm late to the slow cooker game. We got this awesome clay pot slow cooker for a wedding gift and I've been using it one to two times a week since!
It makes dinners so easy, and I'm all about easy these days since I'm weeks away from giving birth!
It also doesn't leach any weird chemicals into our foods like a lot of the plastic ones do.
My 2 Bean Chili recipe is one of the most popular recipes on the blog.
Not to mention in my house as well, so I thought I should give it a try in the slow cooker because that would make it an even easier chili!
Side note: If you don't have a slow cooker just follow this recipe.
I'm happy to report it worked perfectly. I even came up with a few other ways you can make this chili quick – perfect for any night of the week.
If you don't feel like chopping up all the veggies you can use frozen. It works just as well. Also, feel free to use your favorite beans.
I like using kidney and pinto because they are really hearty, but black or white beans work well too. You could even sub lentils.
Legumes are something that I recommend everyone eat each day as they've been shown to promote longevity, help stabilize blood sugar (so they are great for diabetics), and slow skin aging and wrinkling!
I love topping it with cilantro, avocado, or cashew sour cream.
For the cashew sour cream – in a high speed blender, combine 1 cup of cashews (soaked), juice from 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar and salt to taste. Blend it all together and then let sit in fridge for 30 minutes or longer to thicken. If you have a high speed blender you will only need to soak the cashews for 15-30 minutes. If it's not a Vitamix or other comparable blender, I recommend soaking the cashews for at least 2 hours.
This chili is not only flavorful, but contains a wealth of nutrients.
When you're eating this you are not only making tastes buds happy, but you are doing a lot of good for your health and body!
Simple and Hearty Veggie Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 15 oz Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed, 1 can)
- 15 oz Black Beans (drained and rinsed, 1 can)
- 8 oz Mushrooms (chopped, I used baby bellas)
- 1 cup Vegetable Broth (if you like a thicker chili, omit this)
- 1 Yellow Onion (chopped)
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
- 1 small Jalapeño (seeded and diced, optional)
- 1 cup Celery (diced)
- 1 Red Bell Pepper (chopped)
- 28 oz Diced Tomatoes (or two 15oz cans)
- 6 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 2 tbsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1½ tsp Oregano
- 1-2 tsp Salt (can omit if you like)
- Pepper (to taste)
- Dash Cayenne pepper (optional)
Toppings
- Avocado (diced)
- Cashew Sour Cream (recipe in blog post)
- Cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
- In a slow cooker add all the ingredients. I like to add the vegetable broth first then seasonings and then the vegetables and beans. If you like a thicker chili then omit the vegetable broth. Cook on medium to high heat for one to two hours.
- Once it's done cooking make sure to stir it a few times. Then serve with topping choices like cilantro, avocado or cashew sour cream. I think the cashew sour cream is a must!
Notes
- If you do not have a slow cooker check I love this one. It's made from organic clay and will not leach weird chemicals in your food!
- To save more time you can also sub precut, frozen veggies. Read in post above.
- Feel free to sub the beans for ones you like better.
We've been teased with spring-like weather all week. But chili needs to be back on our menu come the weekend! Yours looks wonderful!
I have a feeling this will be perfect for the huge snowstorm we have coming this weekend!
Love this! It looks so satisfying!
This looks like great chili! I love that it only has 15 minutes of prep, but I think you forgot to put in the recipe card that it needs to cook for 2 hours! :)
Thanks Jenni! There is a variety of cook times as I mentioned in the post so I didn't want to add a specific time to the recipe. Depending on your slow cooker, it can be cooked within an hour. For people that don't have a slow cooker they can make it in one pot with this recipe, but there's more hands-on, prep time for that one.
Your chili recipe looks delicious. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal!
I love chili! This looks so hearty and comforting!
This looks like such an awesome meal! I can't wait to try it!
Could this be converted to the instant pot?