It’s been incredibly warm in Minnesota so I’ve been trying to workout outside as much as possible. Yesterday I biked 15 miles; my legs are feeling a little tired today! I find that drinking lots and lots of water helps with all of the aches. That and a giant spoonful of peanut butter. Hehe.
My meals are all prepared for the week, too! I’m trying to eat clean so I baked garlic chicken, and roasted broccoli and sweet potatoes. I also made some delicious gluten free pumpkin bars, and sauteed kale & garden veggies. I don’t have much free time on the weeknights so my meals need to be ready. Plus it helps me to stay on track when trying to eat right.
Last week I made this delicious vegetarian chili packed with lentils & quinoa. Mmmmmm!
This chili reminded me of my sweet potato and black bean quinoa chili; the flavors are very similar and deeeelicious!
So much goodness goes into a pot: lentils, quinoa, black beans, kidney beans, red pepper, fresh tomatoes, garlic, cilantro, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, plus a touch of curry powder.
Let’s not forget about the nutrition: a little over 300 calories, 17g of fiber, and 18g of protein. This chili will fill you up!
You’re going to love it!
xoxo
Other recipes you’ll love:
Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa Chili with Smoked Chipotle
Black Bean, Corn and Quinoa Enchilada Bake
Mom’s Ultimate Vegetarian Lentil Loaf
Healing Thai Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
Slow Cooker Black Bean Quinoa Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Lentil & Quinoa Chili {vegan & gluten free}
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, finely chopped (you can use canned tomatoes)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3-4 teaspoons chili powder, depending on how spicy you like it
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon curry powder
- freshly ground salt and pepper
- 3 cups vegetarian broth, plus more if necessary
- 1 cup green lentils, rinsed
- 1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 - 15 oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 - 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped plus more for garnish
- Avocado for topping, if desired
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add garlic and cook for a minute or until fragrant and slightly golden. Add onion and red pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
- Add in tomatoes, cumin, chili, cinnamon, curry powder, broth, salt and pepper; bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 6-8 minutes or until tomatoes begin to break down.
- Add broth, quinoa, and lentils; bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until lentils are tender and quinoa has expanded.
- Stir in black beans, kidney beans, and cilantro. You can add a bit more broth if you feel you do not have enough, either way chili will continue to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Simmer a few minutes more. Serves 7; about 1 cup each. Top with avocado if desired.
What adjustments would you suggest if I’m using precooked lentils?
I make this canned tomatoes using one 14oz can tomato sauce and one 14 oz can of either whole tomatoes or diced. It turns out great! This last time I only had 1/3 cup green lentils so used dry black lentils for the other 2/3 cup. SO GOOD! My husband loves this recipe too and it’s so easy to throw together ❤️
First time looking at your website, Going to try some of your recipes.
Welcome, Juana! Can’t wait for you to try them 🙂
This recipe is great, but it seems to have left out when to add the broth. You can probably figure it out, but I thought I would point it out just in case.
Thank you for the catch! I’ve updated the recipe. Glad you like this one!
I added potatos and carrots and I didnt have any chili powder so I subbed 1.5 tsp cayenne. Its delicious!!!
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
such a good vegan chili recipe!
Had Moniquue’s delicious chili on top of a baked potato….. Yummy 2.0
Next time I’m going to add a little smoke flavoring
Thanks Monique!
That sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed!
Just made this tonight and it was really delicious. I followed the recipe as written, except at the end I added a couple splashes of white wine vinegar. The acidity rounded out the flavor for me. Great recipe – thanks for sharing.
Awesome! Glad you loved this one 🙂
I just made this chili and I’m floored by how delicious it is! I was going to save it for dinner, but it’s being devoured at lunch instead. Thanks for sharing!
So happy to hear that!!
I love this chilli so much! Such a great meal for me and my one year old child!
Delicious! I’m glad you both enjoy it!
This recipe is just what I needed. I make my own vegetarian burritos for my lunches, so that I will eat better for lunch,and save dinnertime for meat or diary. I bought lentils and quinoa instead of brown rice, to lower the glycemic load. I skip the broth and add some jalapeños and green peppers. It makes a great burrito filling. It’s slso low salt without the broth.
Perfect! This sounds so delicious in a burrito – glad you enjoyed!
I wondered if this chili could be made in the instant pot
I haven’t tried it, but would be curious!
Hia! I’ve been making this chili for several years now (probably since it was posted, i found it at the top of Foodgawker), and just love it. The proportions work out perfectly, the consistency is ace and it tastes like heaven.
The only things I always add to make it even better is cheddar and a dollop of sour cream. When I don’t feel like doing the veggie version, I add some ground chicken. Good either way! Thank you for this favourite!
So great to hear! Those add-ons sound delicious, too 🙂
Ive been eating this for the past 3 days now. Its amazing 😍
Can I make this in a crock pot?!
I made mine in a crockpot. Just used half the amount of broth because I don’t like watery chili. Cooked on low heat for a few hours or until lentils and quinoa is cooked. I also sautéed my onions and peppers prior and substituted ginger for curry powder and added paprika as well. Came out amazing- definitely making more to have on hand as an easy lunch or dinner later on. Thank you for the recipe!!
Can I used canned diced tomatoes? If so, how many cans?
Sure! 1 (14 oz can) should be sufficient.
My husband and I made this tonight and loved it! Definitely a keeper. I think you may have missed listing the amount of salt and pepper in the ingredients, as well as when to add the curry powder and cinnamon in the instructions.
Thanks! Updated. 🙂
Thanks! I love SO many of your recipes! They’re perfect for sneaking in veggies for my toddler!
This has been a go-to recipe for me since you’ve posted it. I add a bit more broth to make it soupier, for me it turns out more stew-y. Either way, it’s so delicious for lunch and dinners. Thank you!!
I’m just wondering how many tomatoes fresh OR canned (ml) you used in this recipe? I don’t have a scale. Thanks!
I made this a couple days back and before it was finished my husband kept complaining about it being vegitarian (“Not even a little bit of ground meat? No? How about chicken? Argh!”) but not after het tried it! So good! I did top it off with a bit of cheddar cheese for extra yumminess!
This recipe was great! Was so easy since I had everything on hand.
Me too! 🙂
http://www.tasteofhome.com/healthy/live-well/ask-our-dietitian/question-archive/cooking/what-can-i-use-as-a-tomato-substitute
You could just bookmark it. I like to print them out and put them in a folder, which is growing into a nice cookbook.
It tasted perfectly fine after I froze it. Was so good I'm making it again this week!
Copy the address bar of the page into an Email to yourself 🙂 Alternatively, cut and paste the recipe into a Word Document and save that – you could also Email that to yourself 🙂
Copy the link to the page into an Email to yourself 🙂 Alternatively, cut and paste the recipe into a Word Document and save that – you could also Email that to yourself 🙂
Hello! Could this be made in a slow cooker? If so, how would I need to adjust things? It looks awesome!
Can you not just leave them out, or add some stock or something instead? It looks real nice, i might try this out myself
Allergic to tomatoes, any suggestion for a replacement in this dish?
this was so delicious!
how do I email this to myself so I can find it later??
Thanks
Is this chilli good frozen/reheated? If not, how long does it stay good in the fridge for?
This looks so good! I love the ingredients…
The weather was SO hot yesterday, I’m glad it’s going to cool down this weekend – I’m ready for Fall temps and soup/chili for dinner.
This looks amazing, but I’m so glad to be reminded of the sweet potato, black bean version! Must make both soon!
I’ve been making a very similar version of this recently, but without the lentils. Will definitely be adding them. You’re right, so much goodness!!
Ohhh my gosh this looks so crazy delicious!
Yep, a giant spoonful of peanut butter can fix almost anything! 🙂
And so could this chili…it looks awesome. Green lentils are so much cuter than brown, don’t you think?
I can’t wait to try some of this chili with a big hunk of corn bread! Yum.
I am all over this!! LOVE the quinoa in there 🙂
I have never used quinoa in chili before but I like the sounds of it (not to mention it looks pretty good too). And the avocados are a must!
Mmm this looks great! I’m loading up on lentil recipes lately… they’re so good for you! Definitely adding this to the arsenal!
Jamie @lifelovelemons