Vegetable Chilli Recipe

Easy to Make One Pot Chilli

Packed with vegetables, peppers, canned beans and lentils. Vegetarian, filling, healthy and delicious!

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*Post updated January 2025

It’s simple and requires just one pot, basic ingredients, and comes together in just over an hour.

Campfire Vegetarian Chilli

Last year we went camping and this veggie chilli is perfect to take camping as it's really easy to heat up on your camping stove.

We took the chilli in a storage container with a packet of microwave rice, all you do is heat them up in 2 frying pans rather than the microwave - a nice and easy first night camping night!

Lentils

Lentils are an excellent source of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.

They're also a great source of plant-based protein and fibre. So they are great for anyone following a plant-based diet.

Courgettes

Courgettes, also known as zucchini do not need peeling. Just slice off each end and discard, then prepare as the recipe directs.

Ingredients

• Pre-cooked puy lentils or use a can (drained from water)

• Onions

• Red and green bell peppers

• Celery

• Garlic

• Courgettes (zucchini)

• Tomato puree (paste)

• Canned kidney beans in chilli sauce

• Canned tomatoes - be sure to use good quality ones or your sauce won't be half as nice

• Red chillies

• Vegetable stock, or chicken if you are not vegetarian

• Spices - chilli powder and cumin 

Top Tips!

You could turn this into a Vegetarian Chilli con Carne by adding soya mince and, perhaps leaving out the lentils.

If you're not vegetarian, use a chicken stock cube rather than vegetable as it gives a lot more taste. 😉

Equipment

a large saucepan

a wooden spoon - you don't have to use a wooden spoon, but they are handy, and I put mine in the dishwasher - they survive a surprisingly long time.

Gather and prepare the ingredients

Cook the onions then add the chilli, garlic and tomato puree.

Add the carrots and peppers and cook. Then add the courgette and spices.

Now add the spices, beans and tomatoes.

Cook for a while, then add the lentils. Cook until the mixture has thickened.

Once the chilli has thickened, taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve with rice.

Can you freeze vegetable chilli?

Yes, you can and actually, it freezes really well, just be sure to let it completely cool before transferring it to a suitable container.

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

vegetarian chilli recipe, vegetable chili, easy chilli, bean chilli,

dinner, main, vegetarian,

English

Yield: 6

Author: Jan Bennett

Vegetable Chilli Recipe

Vegetarian, filling, healthy and delicious!

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 20 M

Ingredients

• 1½ tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 large onion - peeled and chopped into small dice
• 1 celery stalk - ribs removed and finely chopped
• 1 red and 1 green bell pepper (capsicum) stalk and seeds removed and chopped
• 2 large carrots - peeled and grated (otherwise they'll take ages to cook)
• 1 courgette (zucchini) - thinly sliced and cut into half-moons
• 2 nice fat cloves garlic - chopped finely
• 1-2 red chillies - seeds in, or remove if you don't like a bit of heat and finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons of chilli powder or to taste
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée (tomato paste in the USA)
• 1 x 400g can good quality plum tomatoes - including the juice
• 1 Knorr vegetable stock cube (chicken if not vegetarian) dissolved in just 160ml hot water
• 1 x 400g can kidney beans in chilli sauce - (drained and rinsed if yours are in water)
• 1 x 400g can of lentils (drained of water so now the drained weight is 260g) OR use 250g pack of ready-to-eat puy lentils (they are not in water)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion and celery and cook gently while stirring for about 15 minutes until the onions have softened, but not browned. Don't rush cooking the onions as you don't want raw-tasting onions, plus they will become sweeter as you cook them.
2. Add the carrots and courgettes and cook for a few more minutes. Then add the peppers, stir and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Now add the garlic, red chilli, chilli powder and cumin. Add the tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes otherwise, the tomato puree will taste bitter. Then add the tomatoes including their juice.
4. Now add the stock and bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes - give it all a good stir now and then.
5. Check to see if the courgette has softened and if not cook for another 10 minutes or so. Add the beans including the sauce (but rinse and drain well if your beans are in water).
6. Add the 'ready to eat' puy lentils and give it all a good stir. Cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring now and then. You can add a little water if it's looking too thick.
7. Have a taste, adjust the seasoning and add pepper to taste - you probably won't need salt because of the stock cube. You can add a pinch of sugar or a squirt of tomato ketchup if needed.

Serving suggestions

1. Plain, boiled rice
2. Jacket (baked) potato
3. Salad
4. Grated cheddar cheese
5. Sour cream

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