This hearty vegan chili is made with lentils and quinoa for a meat-like texture, even your carnivore friends will love this. Using a good rich stout as part of the liquid adds depth and flavor.
This post was originally posted in 2013 and has been updated to include more detailed instructions and new photos.
*Sigh*
It’s over. Christmas that is. The days and weeks spent planning and shopping and cooking are all done. Today I feel like I can finally relax and do what I want. Boxing day just might be my favorite day of the holidays. And no, not because I’m running around the mall battling the crowds. Precisely because I am not doing that. Nope. I’m curled up on the couch in my new Christmas leggings with my new cookbook and my dog at my feet. And a coffee of course.
And as much as I like holiday food, I’m ready for something filling and wholesome. Snow day food. Sitting around watching movies in wool socks kind of food. This is Boxing Day food. And I think it is the best kind.
I wanted a hearty and rich chili. A chili that simmers all day and gets richer and deeper as it cooks. To keep this chili plant-basted I used black beans and lentils. For richness – I took a page from my husband’s playbook and added a hearty dark stout style beer to the simmering pot.
Stout adds a deep rich flavor. Similar to the effect of using a beef broth, that little bit of stout will develop some of that meaty flavor you might feel missing from vegetarian chili.
In an attempt to capture the meaty texture my family loves in a good chili – I threw in a scoop of quinoa at the end and crossed my fingers. I hoped the quinoa would help thicken the chili without getting mushy. The quinoa held up fabulously. Great texture. Even a day or two later, the chili was just right.
Lentils and quinoa give this vegetarian chili a “meat-like” texture
Adding beer to chili is something my husband does to this classic with “man-chili”. So I thought I would give this a try. I wanted a “meaty” chili. A dark, bitter beer adds an amazing depth of flavor which I always thought was wonderful with a meat-based chili. But here, in a pot of lentils, it does magical things. The texture of the lentils – and the quinoa give this chili a very meaty texture. Adding the stout just feels hearty and good. Who knew a lentil chili could be so good?
How to make rich vegetarian chili
- Use a dark beer, 1 cup, something rich. Guinness is the obvious choice, but any brand will do. Look for a dark stout.
- Use green or brown lentils here. Red lentils are too tender and will melt into nothing, sacrificing texture. Basic green (a.k.a. brown lentils) are just fine here.
- I find this chili takes a good long time to simmer. So give it time. I like to let it go for 45 minutes.
- When you first add the lentils and quinoa to the pot the chili will look very watery, it will thicken up nicely once the lentils and quinoa cook and absorb some of it.
- Check the pot occasionally as it simmers, if the pot seems dry add a half cup of liquid (water or stock), especially if the lentils are not yet completely tender.
- If after 45 minutes the lentils still seem a bit on the tough side, add a bit more water and let it simmer some more. Check it every 15-20 minutes.
- Finish this chili with just a splash of vinegar. Cider vinegar wakes up the flavors.
- The honey (to keep this vegan use agave or another liquid sweetener) adds the tiniest bit of sweetness. Just enough to complement the heat of spices and the bitterness of the stout. Stir both the vinegar and the sweetener in at the end, taste.
Lentil and Quinoa Chilli with Stout
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion about 1 small onion
- 1 cup diced red sweet pepper
- 1-2 jalapeños fresh, diced
- 2 tablespoons chill powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cloves of garlic pressed
- 1.5 cup green or brown lentils
- 1/2 quinoa
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes or whole canned tomatoes,broken into small pieces with your spoon
- 1 cup dark beer such as Guinness
- 4 cup veg stock or water
- 1-2 Tablespoons agava syrup, to taste or honey if not vegan
- 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
Instructions
- Warm olive oil over medium heat, add onion, sweet and jalapeño peppers and sauté until tender – 5-7 minutes.
- Add garlic, tomato paste, and spices and cook for one to two minutes. Add lentils and quinoa and toss to coat with the spices and onions. Add diced tomatoes, beer, water and stock. Bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and slightly cover. Simmer until lentils are tender about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding water if the mixture becomes too dry. Finish chill with a half teaspoon cider vinegar and 1-2 tablespoons of sweetener, depending on your taste. Serve.
Notes
You might also like these recipes made with quinoa
- Lentil Taco Meat {Vegan}
- Instant Pot Lentil Sweet Potato Curry {Vegan}
- Slow-Cooker Lasagna Soup {Vegan}
- Easy Red Lentil Soup {Vegan, GF}
Hi, I’m Trish. I share quick and healthy recipes designed to get you through your busy days, balanced with a generous serving of sweet and decadent treats for weekends and special occasions. You will find vegan, gluten-free and plant-based recipes here too. Thanks for visiting!
Jack says
Your recipe seems cool.
I might try this at home, altough I’m not such a big fan of Quinoa Chilli. Does it taste good? 🙂
Laura says
I love soup with stout – makes it so hearty!
Trish @infinebalance says
It does. The Stout has such a deep and rich flavour!
Allison @ Clean Wellness says
This is exactly what I feel like after all of the holiday food I’ve eaten this week. I need something spicy and full of goodness. I’ve never added beer to a chili before but I’m going to give it a go! Looks great.
Trish @infinebalance says
Funny how we look so forward to the holiday over-indulge… then so quickly feel ready to get back to healthy foods again. 🙂
Beer and chilli were made for each other. Give it a try.
sarah says
Can this be made in a slow cooker? I love throwing chili ingredients in my crock pot to come home to a house smelling like chili! And, I love cooking with beer, so that would be perfect! Love your blog! Thank you 🙂
Trish @infinebalance says
I know what you mean. I love using my slowcooker. I haven’t made this particular recipe in my slow-cooker (yet!).
If I were to make this in the slowcooker I would still saute everything in a fry pan – onions, garlic, etc… Then just before the directions say add the canned tomatoes, water, beer, etc… move the mixture to the slowcooker, add the tomatoes and liquid and set it on low to cook for 6-8 hours.
The only potential problem you might run into is the amount of liquid in the recipe. In the slow cooker liquid doesn’t evaporate as easily so for this recipe you might end up with a thinner consistency. But because of the lentils and quinoa need some liquid to cook in you will have to careful here. So there are two ways to handle this ….
1) If you can check on your chili during the day, start the recipe with 1 cup less water and check on it a least half way through, and more often after that – and add a bit of water if if it seems too dry.
2) Add all the liquid in the recipe and let it cook all day. When you get home if its not as thick as you want, turn the heat up to high and let it cook uncovered for 20-30 minutes and some of the excess liquid will evaporate.
Good luck
Let me know how it turns out.