Quinoa Chili
This vegetarian, protein-packed chili is the perfect bowl of comfort food that you can eat guilt-free!
It’s been a bit warm here in San Francisco but I’ve been wanting to make chili for weeks now. Chili gives me the perfect excuse to have oh-so-crumbly cornbread on the side, except I overdo it and make it a main course. Either way, I still wanted a piping hot bowl of chili. Desperately. But this time, I tried something very different with my batch of chili – I added quinoa, and lots of it!
The quinoa added such a fun texture, soaking up all the flavors and goodness of this chili. It’s also loaded with kidney beans, black beans, tons of veggies and just enough lime juice to give you a subtle kick in the pants. Plus, this batch will make enough to feed an army so it’ll keep you and your family well fed for days!
Quinoa Chili
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 4.5-ounce can diced green chiles
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder, or more, to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ cups corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Juice of 1 lime, optional
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook quinoa according to package instructions; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in quinoa, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chiles, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and 1-2 cups water, making sure to cover most of the ingredients; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Reduce heat to low; simmer, covered, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir in beans, corn, cilantro and lime juice, if using, until heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately with avocado, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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Didn’t make any changes (except I always soak my quinoa before I cook it, and I added a little bouillon powder) and it was delicious! I liked it better than the turkey chili I made alongside it! Thanks! Wondering what the nutrition stats are because*someone* might have eaten two servings
Obsessed. I’ve been making this chili for over a decade and I absolutely love it. It’s become a part of me haha. Thank you!
Delicious!!! I added some shredded chicken I made previously that was frozen. I actually made this in the instant pot which was really quick. I cooked the quinoa for 1 minute, took it out of the instant pot then followed the rest of the directions and had it on the saute function for 20 minutes. This recipe will be on my regular rotation for sure. So healthy and flavorful!
Great flavor! Trying more meatless meals and this definitely is a keeper. Cooked quinoa at same time, used broth instead of water.
Does the recipe call for 1 cup cooked quinoa or 1 cup dry? Thanks!
This looks amazing! Are there directions to make it in an instant pot?
I have made this recipe a few times and i now prefer it over ground beef chili! So flavourful. I sometimes add a square of unsweetened chocolate for a Mexican flare. Love it!
This was great! I added a green pepper and a yellow squash. I also was lazy and cooked the quinoa with everything. We like our chili thick, so I didn’t add extra water. Great flavor
and spice ! A definite keeper. Thanks for sharing!
So – first time doing the Meatless Monday last night for the whole family. My husband and I have been going more plant based for health reasons, but my boys are not that into becoming Vegetarian or Vegan. I made this and my teenagers went back for seconds and thirds! Bravo!
I have made this several times over the years for just my husband and myself but this year I needed a main course for a ladies luncheon and none of them are vegetarians so I surprised them with this recipe. Several had never eaten Quinoa and everyone LOVED the recipe!
How does this reheat with the quinoa already in it? Does it soak up a lot of the liquid like orzo does? Debating whether to serve the quinoa on the side or as directed. It’s just 2 of us so we’ll be eating leftovers for a few days.
This is my go-to chili recipe every time fall comes around! So delicious. I’ll sometimes add Vegan Chorizo to make it even heartier.
I’ve made this for my meat eating family a few times and they love it. It’s a simple recipe with plenty of flavour. It’s perfect!
This recipe is excellent. I’ve probably made it 30 times- I come back to it every season. It’s such a hearty, delicious chili and I usually have everything I need on hand.
I usually add an extra can of beans and substitute the water for broth.
This was delicious! It certainly makes a lot and my family enjoyed it. I kept going back and grazing on it during the evening. The only thing i would do different is adding a 3rd can of beans.
This is one of the most delicious entries in my recipe repertoire. The lime takes it over the top in flavor.
If you put the dry quinoa and its water directly in with the tomatoes/chilies/spices, it cooks up beautifully. Saves time and effort, especially if you’re like me and forget to cook it in advance every time.
This quinoa chili is so good!
I added an entire box of vegetable stock and adjusted the seasoning to taste. I find quinoa soup recipes need quite a bit of liquid because the quinoa absorbs it.
Excellent recipe. I don’t normally post reviews but this was excellent
I’ve made this chili repeatedly and it’s always a favorite. This time around, I elevated with some left over tri-tip I had smoked over the weekend. Still included the quinoa. The smoky flavor of the meat really brought a new flavor to this damned delicious chili!
Wow SO GOOD. I’ve made a lot of quinoa chilis and this one was definitely the best. Lime juice really brought it all together! I didn’t have chili powder so used red chili flakes. I also added a little tomato paste because I had it, and skipped the corn. Devoured a whole bowl and will eat it as meal prep this week!