Black Bean Chili
By: Gigi Howe
A few weeks ago, Cindy posted an article – 10 Things You Should Not Buy at the Grocery Store. Check it out if you haven’t already. One thing that really caught my eye was the section about beans. I always buy the canned but the dried beans peaked my interest. I’ve made a few soups with a mix of dried beans. I always liked it. My mother used to used dried beans for a few recipes. Anyway, I wanted to try something new.
Today, I am sharing a recipe for Black Bean Chili. Using the dried beans is simple. You have to let them soak, then cook them until tender and then they are ready for this recipe. The biggest mistake you could make with this recipe is not letting the beans cook long enough after their overnight soak, so be sure to make certain that they are tender.
This is a meatless chili. I’ve found that when I make a vegetarian chili that 99% of the time no one notices that I don’t add the meat. It does taste good without the meat! If you want, you can add meat to this recipe (browned ground beef or turkey).
Give this recipe a try and see if you can taste a difference with the beans. Maybe you will be hooked on using the dried beans vs the canned. Let us know!
Black Bean Chili
Ingredients:
– 4 cups dried black beans
– 3 onions, chopped
– 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
– 1 bell pepper, chopped
– 2 teaspoons cumin
– 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
– 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
– 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes (or use fresh)
– Crushed red pepper to taste or chop up a jalapeno pepper if your family likes spice foods
– Shredded cheese and/or sour cream for topping (optional)
Directions:
1. The day before: Prepare the beans to be soaked. Sort through them on a plate and get rid of any twigs, leaves or whatever else does not belong. Some brands of bagged beans are cleaner than others. Put the beans in a colander and rinse with cold water. Soak the beans in plenty of water overnight.
2. Drain the beans and cook in fresh boiling water until tender (could take about 2 hrs). Check the water level during cooking and add more if needed.
3. Transfer the beans to a large pot, include about 2-3 cups of their cooking water.
4. Saute garlic, onions, pepper and seasonings in oil for 10 mins. Add sauted mixture to the beans. Add tomatoes and crushed red pepper.
5. Simmer, covered for 1 hour.
6. Serve with cheese and sour cream. Nice with rice or use with taco shells or serve with salsa and chips.
This recipe makes 6-8 servings.
Enjoy!!
Printable Recipe:
