Hearty Red Lentil Chili made in 1 pot with simple ingredients! A smoky, flavorful plant-based meal that’s high in protein and fiber, perfect for cold nights and to feed a crowd.
Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
- 2 tablespoon Avocado or coconut oil
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium red pepper, diced
- 1/2 cc sea salt and black pepper each (shared // more more to taste)< /span>
- 1 small Jalapeño, diced with seeds (Remove seeds or reduce or omit for less heat)< /span>
- 4 Cloves Garlic (4 cloves make ~2 tbsp)
- 3 soup Chilli blend Powder (shared // NO chili flakes, cayenne, or pure chili)
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin (shared)
- 1 cc smoked paprika
- 2 15 ounces Cans of Diced Tomatoes (if unsalted, add more sea ​salt)
- 3 soup Tomato paste
- 1 ¾ cup water (more if needed)< / li>
- 3/4 cup dried coral lentils rinse well in cold water + drained< / span>
- 1 15 ounces Can of red beans (slightly drained) < /li>
- 1 15 ounces Can of black beans (slightly drained) < /li>
- 1-2 tablespoon Coconut sugar (or maple syrup)
- 1 15 ounces Canned Corn, drained (optional)
TO SERVE optional
- Homemade Chili “Cheese” Fritos< /a>
- < spa n class="wprm-recipe-ingredient nname">Rice or quinoa
- Fresh chopped coriander
- Avocado
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add oil, onion, and paprika. Season with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper and toss through. Fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- In a mortar and pestle, place the jalapeño and garlic and mash to a coarse paste (alternatively puree in a small food processor or chop finely). Add to the pan along with the onion and peppers and season with another pinch of salt and pepper.
- < span style="display: block;">Add 2/3 of the chili powder (2 tablespoons as written in the original recipe), half of the cumin (1 tablespoon as written in the original recipe), the paprika powder, the diced tomatoes, the tomato paste and all the water, and stir to mix to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- After cooking, add the lentils and reduce the heat to medium-low or low, i.e. on a low level. You want to see bubbles, but you don’t want it to bubble. Cook for 15 minutes or until the lentils are almost tender. During cooking, you may need to add more water if the mixture seems too dry and the lentils aren’t submerged (I didn’t find this necessary).
- Next, add the kidney beans, black beans, 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and the remaining cumin (1 tablespoon as per original recipe) and chili powder (1 tablespoon as in original recipe given) and stir.
- Simmer over medium-high heat, then turn the heat slightly to low (or medium- low), reduce, add corn (optional), cover and not easy for 20 minutes t simmer to blend the flavors. Stir occasionally.
- Flavour as needed and adjust spices by adding more chili powder or cumin for smoking, salt for the savory or a little coconut sugar to balance the heat and bring out the other flavors.
- Serve as what or with Chili Cheese Fritos, fresh jalapeño, cilantro, red onion and/or avocado (optional).
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Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
