Looking for a high-protein vegetarian chili that’s packed with flavor and easy to make? Use one single pot and make this Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa Chili!
A couple of years ago I posted a Black Bean Quinoa Chili recipe. The internet wild for it…so why not make a spin off?
Lately I’ve been really into sun dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. They add so much great flavor to everything. I thought I’d use a base of pureed roasted red peppers and quinoa for a hearty, flavorful meal.
It’s vegan.
But you’d never even guess it.
In order to get some delicious creaminess in this chili, you need to food processes your roasted red peppers. I dumped the entire contents of the jar including the liquid right into my food processor and gave it a whirl for a good minute until everything was pureed.
Did I mention that you only need to use one pot for this entire meal? You start off by bringing quinoa and water to a boil and then you add the rest of the ingredients to the same pot and let that baby simmer.
You’ve got yourself dinner in less than 45. Plus- leftovers for days.
There’s one secret ingredient in this chili that I almost forgot to mention!
Maple syrup!
That’s right. I added a few tablespoons of maple syrup to really bring out the flavor. It’s the one ingredient you don’t want to skimp on!
If you’re thinking about getting extra fancy with this chili, feel free to add some sweet potato or any kind of bean your heart desires. It’s one of those meals where you could just keep adding things to it and it would just get better and better. Do note that the more cans of things you add to the chili, the more spices you’re going to need to add! I say more chili powder and more garlic. Always more garlic.
Don’t forget to go wild with your toppings. Every bowl of chili deserves a bit of crunch. On mine I put a dollop of Greek yogurt, some green onions, and purple onions.
Confession: the only kind of Greek yogurt I had in the house was honey flavored. Surprisingly enough, it was DELICIOUS!
Basic Ingredients for Roasted Red Pepper Quinoa Chili
Place quinoa and water in a large pot and turn to high heat. Bring to a boil.
While the quinoa is heating up, prep roasted red peppers. Place entire jar (including liquid) into a food processor and process on high for about a minute or until pureed. Set aside.
Once the quinoa is boiling, reduce to medium heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and let boil for about 15 minutes.
Then, turn down to low and let simmer, covered, for an additional 15 minutes.
Serve with plain Greek yogurt, diced red onion, green onion, and tortilla chips!