Unless you’re from Texas, you should be using fresh vegetables to make chili in the summer.
Many years ago, a man accosted me in the dining room about the chili we served, not being chili. My nature is non-confrontational, so I nodded my head and listened about the demerits of beans, and learned that chili is a little more controversial than I knew.
I would agree that I have a west coast bias in my cooking, and it shows itself in this chili recipe, because at the end of summer, when we have not so pretty peppers and tomatoes coming out of our ears, chili is the recipe to make.
I’m guessing that in Texas, you could adapt their recipes to use lots of fresh peppers, but I won’t speak to that until I spend much more time the Lone Star State.
Honestly, beans are probably one of the healthiest things we can eat. They are inexpensive, filling, and full of protein and fiber. When I make chili for my family, it’s probably one of the most wholesome meals I serve.
The Peppers
We are going to pack in the vegetables and fill the chili with the goodness from the garden.
Being a fan of chili, I have a large container of chili powder in the cupboard. But I wait until the fresh peppers are all gone before I use it.
Peppers are what makes your chili, chili.
You will want a combination of sweet and hot peppers, any color will do, but don’t use more than half green peppers. The green ones are fine, but red peppers bring more sweetness and flavor.
I have the recipe written with 3–4 bell peppers, but you can use any non-spicy variety. You will want 2 cups chopped. If your peppers are small, you will need a few more than three or four.
The Tomatoes
Most chili recipes call for canned tomato products, but with all of the fresh tomatoes growing right now, save the cans for the winter.
Coarsely chop 2 cups of tomatoes. Blend them in the blender or add them to a bowl, where you have extra space and use an immersion blender.
The blender will mince all the skins and seeds from the fresh tomatoes. You can strain this if you like (especially if your blender is not very powerful), but most people won’t notice the texture when added to the chili.
The Beans
Canned beans are inexpensive and healthy, but they don’t taste as good as homemade, not by a longshot.
I understand that cooking the beans from scratch adds an extra layer of cooking onto your plate, but it’s worth it.
Once you get into the routine, it isn’t that hard. I use a crockpot and start the beans in the morning. When I get home from work, the beans are waiting and ready. If you have an instant pot, that works too, and if you overcook them a little, it doesn’t matter.
You definitely don’t want to undercook them.
The other thing you don’t want to do is add any tomato product to the beans before they are fully cooked. The acid from the tomato will stop the beans from cooking further.
Don’t put the chili together with undercooked beans, planning for the beans to finish cooking in the final simmer.
Slow Cooking Beans
You can use a crockpot, stovetop or oven. To cook the beans for this dish, use one pound of dried pinto or black beans or other beans about the same size.
Combine the dry beans with 6 cups of water, 2 bay leaves, 2–3 garlic cloves, and 2 teaspoons salt.
In a crockpot, set it for 4–5 hours on high.
On the stovetop, bring the water and beans to a boil and then reduce the heat to the lowest simmer setting, cover and cook until soft, occasionally stirring (you might need to add 1–2 cups more water, depending on the evaporation rate of the liquid.)
If you have an oven-safe pot, you can cover and put them in a 350 °F oven after bringing to a boil on the stovetop. You won’t need to stir the beans in the oven because the heat is all around the pot.
The cooking time will depend on the freshness of the beans. The beans quality can be hard to tell because they don’t spoil on your grocery store shelves. On the stove, start checking the beans after and hour, in the oven, check them after 2 hours.
I don’t bother soaking the beans overnight. It’s a significant accomplishment for me just to start the beans in the morning. Soaking will help shorten the cooking time, but when cooking the beans ahead in the crockpot, the time saved from soaking doesn’t really matter.
Don’t try to rush the bean cooking. If they aren’t finished by the time you need to start cooking, you will be better off completing the beans slowly and have something else for dinner (hopefully). When the beans are done, cool them and refrigerate overnight. The next day you are ready to go.
Vegetarian or Meat
I usually make this with ground beef, starting by cooking one-pound ground beef in the pot first, and adding the onions and peppers directly to the meat and omitting the oil.
I wrote the recipe as vegan, and I also included the canned bean equivalent, if you don’t cook the beans yourself.
Chili Beans
- 1 onion, red, yellow, or white
- 3–4 bell peppers
- 1–3 hot peppers
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups pureed fresh tomatoes
- 3 cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed or home-cooked beans (1 lb. dry)
- 1–2 cups of water or bean cooking liquid
1. Dice the onion and peppers. In a large Dutch oven or other large pot, over medium heat, cook the onions and peppers with the oil and salt until the vegetables are very soft, about 6–8 minutes. Add a small amount of water if the vegetables are browning.
2. Add the garlic and cook for 2–3 minutes, then add the oregano and cumin, cooking for 1 minute more to bring out the aroma.
3. Stir in the tomato sauce. Bring the pot to a boil and stir for 4–5 minutes to cook the tomatoes and reduce the liquid by half. You will notice the tomato color change from pink-red to orange-red, then add the cooked beans.
4. Add water or the bean cooking liquid, if using home-cooked beans, to the pot, so that the beans are barely covered. Taste and add more salt if desired. The quantity of salt in the chili will depend on the salt in the beans and bean liquid or if you use water. If you cooked your beans with salt and seasoned the onion and peppers, you probably don’t need more.
5. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a very low simmer for 30 minutes. Occasionally stir while simmering to make sure the chili does not burn.
Combining It All Together
In the summer, take advantage of all the late-season produce and make some chili. Serve it with steamed rice or fresh corn muffins.
It is the perfect meal to make ahead when you are busy. It is my go-to dinner for Sunday football games or weeknight soccer practice. It reheats well, and I love to use leftover chili in burritos the next day.