Meatless Monday Recipe Idea: Vegetarian Chili with Tofu and Black Beans

Since we joined the #MeatlessMonday effort a few weeks ago—we have been trying to post at least one new meatless meal idea every Monday.  This week, I thought I would share my latest tofu and black bean chili.  This was sort of a no-brainer to follow the dining table success of last week’s Tofu and Black Bean Burritos!  The girls and the husband loved this vegetarian chili recipe—and once again—did not miss the meat at all in their usual, comfort-food chili!

Ingredients for Vegetarian Chili with Tofu and Black Beans

1 Tbsp. Butter

2 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Block of Tofu, Firm—drained and crumbled

1 Large Yellow Onion, Chopped

1 tsp. Minced Garlic

3 tsp. Cumin

3 tsp. Chili Powder

½ tsp. Salt

¾ tsp. Black Pepper

2 c. Salsa, Jarred Garden Vegetable (Medium spiced)

1 1/2 cup water

1 15.5 ounce can of chili beans (Mild spiced)

1 15.5 ounce can of black beans

28 ounce can of diced tomato

1 c. Frozen Corn

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

2 tsp. granulated sugar

2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

3 Dashes Franks Redhot Sauce (optional)

Instructions for Vegetarian Chili with Tofu and Black Beans

Season and sauté the tofu.  In a non-stick, dutch oven, crumble the tofu and stir to coat with the butter and oil.  Add onion and saute until onion is translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Stir well to coat—and heat mixture for an additional 2-3 minutes.  Add the salsa and water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1—25 minutes.

Add Additional Vegetarian Chili Ingredients.    Add in both varieties of beans, the tomatoes, the corn, the sugar, the additional spices, and the Worcestershire sauce--stirring to combine after each addition.

Simmer to Blend Flavors.  Bring the chili to a boil, reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer 30-45 minutes.  Add the hot sauce, if desired, during the last 10 minutes of simmering.

Plate and Serve.  Ladle into soup bowls.  Top with shredded parmesan or shredded Mexican blend style cheese of your choice and serve warm.  

We serve chili with cornbread or garlic bread and green salad--and we often add jalapeno peppers to the grown up serving bowls.  We also like to serve this as chili spaghetti.  Simply boil a pound of spaghetti—and top with chili and grated parmesan cheese.

Where are the photos?  Don’t worry--they are coming!  The last time I made the vegetarian chili disappeared so quickly that I didn’t have time for photos!  My lighting is blah today with the rain--but, I’ll be making this again soon and will post pictures then!