Vegetarian Skillet Chili

By Melissa Clark

Updated January 15, 2025

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Liza Jernow.
Media 1 of 2
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(11,649)
Comments
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If you keep canned beans, tomatoes, onion and garlic in your pantry, you can make this dish on any weeknight without having to shop. The pickled onions aren’t strictly necessary, but they are simple to make and add a welcome tangy contrast to the beans. Pickled peppers are a fine substitute. If you have a bell pepper or jalapeño or two, chop them up and sauté them with the onions. And if you want to be fancy, grate the zest off the lime before juicing for the pickles, and stir it into the sour cream.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE PICKLED ONIONS

  • 1 lime

  • 1 red onion or shallot, thinly sliced

  • Large pinch of kosher salt

  • Small pinch of granulated sugar

FOR THE CHILI

  • Olive or grapeseed oil

  • 1 large onion, chopped

  • 3 garlic cloves, or to taste, minced

  • 1 teaspoon chile powder, plus more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano, plus more to taste

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans beans, drained

  • 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices

  • Kosher salt

  • Fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sour cream, for garnish (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

58 grams carbs; 299 calories; 1 gram fat; 14 grams fiber; 957 milligrams sodium; 17 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the pickled onions: Squeeze lime juice into a bowl, and add onion, salt and sugar. Let rest while you make the chili.

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the chili: Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil. When hot, add onion and sauté until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, chile powder and oregano and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add beans and tomatoes and a few large pinches of salt and let simmer until the tomatoes break down, about 20 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Taste and add more salt, chile powder and/or oregano to taste. Serve with the pickled onions and any of the garnishes you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
11,649 user ratings
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Comments

B Mehta

Never add chili powder and sauté, unless you want to burn the chili and have a coughing fit. Instead, add it after the tomatoes soften and just before you add the beans

Lauren

Instead of using canned beans, which are too mushy for me, I bring a bag of dried beans to a boil and let them go for 5-10 minutes, turn off and let them sit in the water, covered for an hour. I take what I need and bag the rest and freeze. I do this with every type of bean I use regularly so I have beans with a little tooth to them. This could be done on a weekend day so it wouldn't cut in to after work meal cooking time.

Chamomile

Make it 28 oz of tomatoes, 2 tb Chile powder and 1 tb each of oregano and cumin. Intense and delicious.

Allison S.

I've made this at least 20-30+ times by now. Here is how I zhuzh and bulk up this recipe some: 1) 1 chopped bell pepper-any color 2) 3 habaneros, minced (I add extra habanero slivers to the pickled shallots) 3) 1 pt fresh tomatoes cut in half (+fire-roasted can tomatoes) 4) 2x chili powder and oregano; add cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne (measure w/heart) 5) spoon out a little of the pickled shallot juice at serving for acid Additions 1-3-add after garlic but before spices

KC

Great recipe. I first made it as written (although I cook my own beans rather than canned). I’ve adjusted to taste, but for me a key addition is an old hippy vegetarian hack: add a handful of bulgar wheat. It absorbs the chili flavors, and gives the chewy texture of ground beef. Great nutritional addition as well!

HH9

Not as flavorful as I would have hoped. I think adding beer would have improved it. It was so thick that we ended up eating it on top of nachos. The leftover beany nachos did make a tasty base for scrambled eggs the next day, however. I probably won't make this again, though. I have other better vegetarian chili recipes.

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