The BEST Lentil Chili (45 Minutes!)

close up of chili in a pot showing thick meaty texture.

The BEST Lentil Chili (45 Minutes!)

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Total Time 45

Servings:10 servings

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

Are you ready for some mind-blowingly good lentil chili? It is thick, rich, meaty, flavorful and won't keep you in the kitchen all day! Adapted from an America's Test Kitchen recipe, this version keeps the select ingredients and methods critical for making the best vegan/vegetarian chili, while streamlining the process so it's much simpler to prepare. The result is a vegan chili you'll return to again and again! Gluten-free and oil-free options.

Ingredients
US Customary | Metric

½ cup raw walnut halves - if allergic, omit and reduce water by about ¼ cup. TIP: another option for added thickening is to stir in half a can of refried beans at the end of cooking.
1 large red or yellow onion, cut into chunks
2 large jalapeno peppers, stems removed - for mild chili remove the seeds; for spicier chili include all or some of the seeds
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 Tablespoons oil such as avocado, olive or grapeseed - omit for oil-free
3 rounded tablespoons chili powder - the spice blend, not pure chile pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons mushroom powder, optional
1 teaspoon smoked sea salt flakes or ¾ teaspoon regular fine sea salt)
1 (28 oz) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
2 tablespoons soy sauce - Sub tamari for GF
4 cups vegetable broth
1 ½ cups water
⅔ cup red lentils
⅔ cup bulgur or TVP, dry - For GF, sub millet or quinoa; rinse and drain before adding to pot. TVP is also GF.
2 (15 oz) cans beans, rinsed and drained - pinto, black, and/or kidney

Instructions

Tip: Once cooking begins in Step 4, things move quickly, so it helps to have all or most of the ingredients gathered and prepped.
Preheat a large soup pot over medium-low heat. Toast the walnuts until warm and fragrant, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Transfer walnuts to the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until finely ground. Transfer the ground walnuts to a bowl.
Add the onion, jalapenos, and garlic to the food processor (see Notes section). Blend until mostly pureed.
Note: If omitting oil, reverse the order of this step; add the blended onion/jalapeno mixture to the pot first, then add the spices. Otherwise, for the best flavor, bloom the spices in oil as described below.
Return the pot to the stove, and increase the burner to medium heat. Add the oil to the pot. Add the spices (3 T chili powder, 1 T cumin, 2 teaspoon oregano, 2 teaspoon smoked paprika, and 2 teaspoon mushroom powder). Stirring frequently, cook for about 1 minute. Add the pureed onion mixture to the pot, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the smoked salt, tomatoes, soy sauce, broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Add the lentils, bulgur, beans, and ground walnuts, and stir well. Return to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the lentils are done, turn off the heat, and give the chili another good stir. Taste and add a pinch more salt or a drizzle of soy sauce, if desired. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes. The chili will continue to thicken as it rests.

Video

Notes

Note on prep: there are two ways to go about preparing the onion, jalapeno and garlic. You can hand-chop them or let the food processor turn them into a puree. I've prepared this chili both ways, and initially published the recipe with instructions to hand-chop the vegetables.

After another try I decided to change the instructions with a preference for using the food processor. Not only is it easier and faster than chopping by hand, it creates a more flavorful chili. But if you prefer chunkier chili with pieces of onion, jalapeno, and garlic, finely chop them and sauté in oil for about 5 minutes (step 3).

Storage: the flavor of the chili continues to improve as it sits. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Chili can also be frozen for up to one month.

Nutrition