Two Bean Vegetarian Chili

Slow-cookers rock!

A couple of posts ago I swore off soups and stews for the summer. That was before I remembered that I have the world’s best slow cooker! It’s wonderful for several reasons:

It was a gift!
It doesn’t heat up the house.
It’s enormous (6.5 US quarts, or roughly 6 litres). So, after I’ve exhausted myself chopping vegetables for an hour, at least I’ve got food for a week.

Which is what I’m trying to accomplish here with this two bean vegetarian chili. Batch cooking is my best bet for bringing lunch to work. (I never seem to fit making lunch into my morning and who can make dinner and lunch in an evening…)

This recipe makes use of fresh herbs while they’re in season, but feel free to add dried herbs instead. The veggie choices are flexible, too. Add or subtract as you see fit. I chop them all coarsely for a chunky chili.



A note about the beans: I use dried beans and cook them alone with the water for 1 hour prior to adding the other ingredients, but if you’re not around after you press start on the slow-cooker, use one can of each type of bean.

You’ll need a 4 US quart slow-cooker or larger for this recipe.

Two Bean Vegetarian Chili

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery with leaves*, chopped
10 medium cremini^ mushrooms, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon each of fresh chopped chives, Italian flat leaf parsley, and basil
½ cup dried pinto beans
½ cup dried red kidney beans
5 cups of water
1 can whole tomatoes
½ teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
½ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cumin
3 teaspoons of chili powder

*celery leaves add great flavour to soups and stews
^ cremini mushrooms are the same shape as white mushrooms, but they are slightly darker with a stronger, earthier flavour

If using dried beans, rinse and add to the slow cooker with the water. Cook on high for one hour. Then add remaining ingredients and cook on high for 5 hours.

If using canned beans, add all ingredients to the slow-cooker at once and cook on high for 4 hours.

Adjust seasoning to taste. Add your favourite hot sauce to taste.

And, voila! Lunch!