My first pot of this set solid overnight.
Not thick. Solid.
I tipped the container sideways over a bowl the next day and the entire block slid out in one piece and landed with a thud.
My wife looked at it, looked at me, and asked if we were supposed to slice it.
The recipe I'd used called for a full cup of uncooked quinoa, which sounds reasonable right up until you understand what quinoa does.
It absorbs roughly three times its own volume in liquid, and then it keeps going while it sits in the fridge.
A cup of dry quinoa will drink four cups of broth and still be thirsty in the morning.
Half a cup is the number.
That's it, that's the whole fix, and it took me three tries to believe it.
With half a cup you get a chili that still moves in the pot, with the grains scattered through it as texture rather than as the main event.
You can see each little quinoa curl once it uncoils, sitting in a brick red sauce with soft orange sweet potato cubes and black beans.
It's lighter than a beef chili and brighter too, and I don't miss the meat in it at all.
One pot, about fifty minutes, and roughly six dollars of ingredients.
Why You'll Love This Chili
This is the vegetarian chili I make when I want leftovers for lunch all week. It costs almost nothing and it holds together as a real meal.
- One pot. The quinoa cooks right in the chili, so there's no second pan and nothing to drain.
- Genuinely filling. Quinoa and black beans together give you a complete protein, which is why this doesn't leave you hunting for a snack at nine.
- Cheap pantry ingredients. Canned tomatoes, canned beans, half a cup of quinoa, one sweet potato.
- Ready in about 50 minutes. Most of that is a hands off simmer.
- Freezes well. Portion it flat and it thaws fast.
- Stovetop or slow cooker. Both methods are written out below.
Do You Cook the Quinoa First?
No. It goes in raw, and that's the entire appeal of this recipe. Quinoa cooks in about twenty minutes, which is exactly how long the sweet potato needs, so both finish together and you skip a whole pan.
What you do have to get right is the ratio.
- The amount. ½ cup of uncooked quinoa for a pot that serves six. Not a cup.
- The liquid. Figure roughly 3 cups of liquid is working for that quinoa alone. The recipe below accounts for it with 4 cups of broth plus a big can of tomatoes.
- The rinse. Rinse it in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Quinoa is coated in saponins, a natural bitter compound, and unrinsed quinoa makes the whole pot taste faintly soapy. You'll blame the chili powder and you'll be wrong.
- The overnight thing. It will thicken in the fridge. That's normal and it is not a mistake. Loosen it with a splash of broth when you reheat.
You'll know the quinoa is done when the little white germ ring uncoils off each grain and floats free.
That's your visual cue, and it's more reliable than a timer.
Why Sweet Potato and Quinoa Work in a Chili
Take the meat out of a chili and you have to replace two separate things: the body and the chew. Most vegetarian chilis only replace one and end up tasting like spicy tomato soup with beans in it.
Sweet potato handles the body.
The cubes soften, a little starch leaks into the sauce, and the whole pot gets heavier and rounder.
Quinoa handles the chew.
Those tiny grains give a soft popping texture that lands in the same place ground beef would, scattered through every spoonful instead of sitting in clumps.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Olive oil (1 tablespoon). For the base.
- Yellow onion (1 large, diced). The foundation of the whole pot.
- Red bell pepper (1, diced). Sweet and a little grassy against the spices.
- Garlic (4 cloves, minced). In after the vegetables have softened.
- Tomato paste (2 tablespoons). Cooked dark. This is where the color comes from.
- Chili powder (1 ½ tablespoons). The backbone.
- Ground cumin (2 teaspoons). Earthy and warm.
- Smoked paprika (1 teaspoon). Smoked, not sweet. Without meat you need the smoke somewhere.
- Ground coriander (1 teaspoon). A soft citrus note most chili recipes skip.
- Cayenne pepper (¼ teaspoon). Adjustable. This is a mild pot as written.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder (2 teaspoons). Not for chocolate flavor. Explained below.
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes (1 can, 28 ounces). With juices.
- Vegetable broth (4 cups). Low sodium.
- Sweet potatoes (1 pound). Peeled, cut into ½ inch dice.
- Quinoa (½ cup uncooked). Rinsed well. Red quinoa if you can find it.
- Black beans (1 can, 15 ounces). Drained and rinsed.
- Kosher salt (1 ½ teaspoons) and 1 lime. Salt during, lime at the end.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Red quinoa over white. Red holds its shape a little better in a long simmer and it disappears less into the sauce. White works fine, it just goes softer.
- The cocoa powder. 2 teaspoons gives a savory bass note that a meatless pot otherwise lacks. Some recipes call for two tablespoons and that is far too much, you'll taste actual chocolate.
- Beans. Black beans are my default. Kidney beans work, and a can of each is even better if you're feeding a crowd.
- Not keeping it vegetarian? Chicken broth in place of the vegetable broth adds a little more depth.
- Heat level. A quarter teaspoon of cayenne is a background warmth. Go to a half teaspoon or add a diced jalapeno with the bell pepper if you want it to bite.
How to Make Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili
Step 1: Rinse the Quinoa
Put the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and run cold water through it, rubbing the grains with your fingers. Keep going until the water coming out is clear, usually 30 to 45 seconds.
Set it aside to drain.
Step 2: Soften the Vegetables
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook 7 minutes, until soft and just starting to color.
Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
Step 3: Cook the Paste and Spices Dark
Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, cayenne, and cocoa powder. Stir constantly for 2 minutes.
The paste darkens and the pot starts smelling like a chili instead of a spice drawer.
Pro tip: If it catches on the bottom, splash in a little broth and scrape. Don't lower the heat, because the heat is doing the work.
Step 4: Everything In
Add the tomatoes with their juices, the broth, the sweet potato cubes, the rinsed quinoa, and the salt. Stir well and scrape the bottom of the pot clean.
Bring it up to a simmer.
Step 5: Simmer Until the Quinoa Uncoils
Simmer uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Quinoa sinks and it will stick if you ignore it.
Look for the little white rings coming loose from the grains.
The sweet potato should be tender by then and still holding a cube shape.
Step 6: Beans, Salt, Lime
Stir in the black beans and heat through for 5 minutes. Then taste for salt, which it will want.
Squeeze the lime in off the heat.
Stop cooking while the chili still moves easily in the pot. It sets up more in the bowl than you expect.
Slow Cooker Directions
The quinoa is the only thing that needs special handling here. Six hours in a crock turns it to paste, so it goes in late.
- Cook the base first. Soften the vegetables and cook the tomato paste and spices in a skillet, exactly as in Steps 2 and 3, then scrape it all into the slow cooker.
- Add the tomatoes, broth, and sweet potatoes. Cook 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.
- Add the rinsed quinoa for the last 90 minutes.
- Add the beans for the last 20 minutes, then finish with salt and lime.
Tips for the Best Texture
- Half a cup of quinoa. Full stop. This is the one measurement I'd ask you not to eyeball.
- Rinse it properly. Thirty seconds under the tap saves the entire pot from tasting bitter.
- Keep the sweet potato at ½ inch. Bigger cubes are still hard when the quinoa is done.
- Stir the bottom. Quinoa settles and scorches, and scorched chili is unfixable.
- Simmer uncovered. A lid traps steam and you lose the reduction that makes it thick.
- Stop early. It thickens in the bowl, in the fridge, and again on the second day.
- Lime off the heat. It lifts the whole pot, and cooking it just flattens it out.
Toppings and What to Serve With It
A vegetarian chili leans on its toppings more than a beef one does. Fat and acid on top are what make the bowl feel complete.
- Diced avocado. My first choice, and the creaminess does a lot of work.
- Sour cream. Or plain Greek yogurt, which is what's usually in my fridge.
- Sharp cheddar. Shredded off the block.
- Sliced green onion and cilantro. Fresh and sharp against the deep spices.
- Crushed tortilla chips. For crunch, right before you eat it.
- On the side. Cornbread, every time.
Storage, Freezing and Reheating
- Refrigerator. Up to 5 days. It thickens every single day, so plan on loosening it.
- Freezer. Up to 3 months in portions. Quinoa freezes and thaws better than pasta or rice does.
- Reheating. Always with a splash of broth or water, over low heat, stirring so the bottom doesn't catch.
Make a pot on a Sunday and eat well all week. Delicious.
Recipe
Hearty Sweet Potato Quinoa Chili
Ingredients
For the Chili
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 28 ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes with juices
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 pound sweet potatoes peeled and cut into ½ inch dice
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa rinsed until the water runs clear
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 lime juiced
Instructions
Build the Base
- Rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer under cold water for 30 to 45 seconds, until the water runs clear. Set aside to drain.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 7 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, cayenne, and cocoa powder. Stir constantly for 2 minutes, until the paste darkens.
Simmer
- Add the tomatoes with their juices, the broth, the sweet potato cubes, the rinsed quinoa, and the salt. Stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot, and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, stirring every few minutes so the quinoa does not settle and stick. The chili is ready when the white germ rings uncoil from the quinoa grains and the sweet potato is tender but still cubed.
- Stir in the black beans and heat through for 5 minutes.
Finish
- Taste and add salt as needed, then squeeze in the lime juice off the heat. Serve while the chili still moves easily in the pot, since it thickens in the bowl.
Notes
- Quinoa ratio: use ½ cup uncooked for 6 servings. A full cup absorbs so much liquid the chili sets solid overnight.
- Rinse the quinoa: unrinsed quinoa carries bitter saponins that make the whole pot taste soapy.
- Slow cooker: cook the base in a skillet first, then add tomatoes, broth and sweet potatoes to the crock for 6 hours on low. Add the rinsed quinoa for the last 90 minutes and the beans for the last 20.
- Cocoa powder: 2 teaspoons adds a savory bass note. More than that tastes like chocolate.
- Storage: keeps 5 days refrigerated and freezes 3 months. Reheat with a splash of broth.
