Chickpea, Quinoa & White Bean Chili

This dish was a fun, delicious, and healthy dinner. Everyone in my house loves a meal that involves assorted toppings! 🙂

The recipe was adapted from Antoni Let’s Do Dinner by Antoni Porowski of Queer Eye. The chili published in his last book is one of our absolute favorites, so I knew that we had to try his vegan version (vegetarian with the optional sour cream and cheese toppings).

We ate it with cornbread muffins on the side. Wonderful.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

For the Chili:

• 3 T olive oil
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
• 5 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• 2 1/2 cups water or a combination of stock and water
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 T chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
• 1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 T finely chopped chipotle chilies in adobo, plus more to taste (about 1 medium chile)
• 2 tsp packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup tricolor quinoa, rinsed

For the Toppings:

• coarsely crushed or broken tortilla chips
• sour cream
• shredded Mexican cheese blend, cheddar, or pepper Jack cheese
• sliced or cubed avocado
• chopped red onion or sliced scallions
• canned mild green chilies or sliced fresh or pickled jalapeños
• chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. (I used a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven.)
2. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and 1 teaspoon coarse salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are softened, about 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, dissolve the tomato paste in 2 1/2 cups water or in a combination of stock and water. (I used 1 cup stock and 1 1/2 cups water.)
4. Stir the chili powder, cumin, and oregano into the onion mixture and cook, stirring, until the spices begin to stick to the bottom of the pot, about 1 minute.
5. Add the tomatoes, beans, chickpeas, chipotles, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and the tomato paste mixture. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a low boil.
6. Add the rinsed quinoa, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa is tender, about 25 to 35 minutes.
7. Remove the chili from the heat and adjust the seasonings and chipotle to taste.
8. Add the water to thin, if desired.
9. Serve with assorted toppings (and cornbread, if desired).

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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