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Black Bean Chili

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This hearty Black Bean Chili calls for traditional ingredients, like onion, bell pepper and tomatoes, but adds cauliflower and white potatoes for a more rustic texture. Garnish with avocado, cilantro and/or green onions.

Black Bean Soup

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Black Bean Soup

Black Bean Chili


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  • Author: Straight Up Food
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 6 to 8 (makes about 9 cups) 1x
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
  • 1 large red or green bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 3 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (4 to 5 cloves)
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 3 cans (15-oz. ea.) cooked black beans (or 5¼ cups), rinsed
  • 1 26-oz. can or box strained or chopped tomatoes
  • 1½ cups water or sodium-free vegetable stock
  • 1½ cups cauliflower florets (cut into large chunks)
  • 1 medium Yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped
  • Garnish options: chopped cilantro, green onion and/or avocado

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a soup pot over medium-high heat. When the water starts to sputter, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery, and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, adding water as needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin seeds, and cook while stirring for 1 minute more.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients: black beans, tomatoes (with liquid), water or vegetable stock, cauliflower and potato. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, stirring once during.
  3. Transfer 2 to 3 cups of the chili, including all of the cauliflower pieces, to a blender, and blend for 10 to 20 seconds (it doesn’t have to be completely smooth). Pour this back into the soup pot and stir. Serve as is or garnished with chopped cilantro, green onion, and/or chopped avocado.

Notes

  • Fun additions: 4 or 5 sliced mushrooms, chopped greens (kale, chard, collards); to make it spicy, add ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
  • If you don’t have any cauliflower on hand, you can add 1 to 2 more Yukon gold potatoes. Using cauliflower gives the chili a bit of a rustic texture.
  • Rinsing the beans: I always rinse my beans, but I know others like to use the liquid their canned beans come in. This is fine, but add only 1 cup water instead of 1½ cups to make sure the chili is not overly thin; adjust as needed.
  • Chili powder: If you like a hot-n-spicy chili, use a medium to hot chili powder. Mild chili powder is usually just labelled as "chili powder."
  • Prep Time: 25 mins.
  • Cook Time: 40 mins.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cups
  • Calories: 189
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Sodium: 55 mg
  • Fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 37 g
  • Fiber: 12 g
  • Protein: 11 g
  • Cholesterol: 0

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @straightupfood and hashtag it #straightupfood - we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Above: Step 1 ingredients ready to go: onion, celery, green bell pepper, chili powder, and finely chopped garlic.
Above: Prepped ingredients for Step 2: black beans (drained), chopped tomatoes, potato, and cauliflower.
Black Bean Soup
Above: Black Bean Soup garnished with chopped avocado. You can also garnish with chopped cilantro and/or green onion.
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Comments

  1. Milton Vedder

    June 24, 2021 at 3:51 pm

    Another winner Cathy. I did not even use the tomatoes and it tasted great. I'll be putting this on my comfort food list.

    Reply
    • Cathy

      June 24, 2021 at 9:05 pm

      Thanks for commenting Milton! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Karen cuenin

    August 10, 2021 at 6:01 am

    Delicious! I added a whole cauliflower and it was still wonderful. Thanks. We love all your recipes.

    Reply
    • Cathy

      August 10, 2021 at 8:20 am

      Great idea! Thanks Karen! 😉

      Reply
  3. Shanna

    August 21, 2021 at 5:06 pm

    I just saw this recipe this afternoon, and I had to go right away and get the ingredients to make it tonight, and it is delicious!! The whole family loved it! And, other than the time it takes to chop everything (which really wasn’t that bad), it’s so easy to make!

    Reply
    • Cathy

      August 21, 2021 at 9:46 pm

      Yay! Glad to hear this; thanks Shanna! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kim Falkner

    December 29, 2021 at 10:48 am

    Cathy,
    This is the first recipe of yours that I have tried. Found out about you yesterday! The chili was a fabulous WFPB recipe! Cannot wait to try other recipes. I didnt have the canned tomatoes so I substitued the equivalent amount of fresh diced tomatoes, bit added water, and a can of no salt added tomato sauce, and it was amazing! I am blessed to have found you on Chef AJ's you tube demo.

    Reply
    • Cathy

      December 30, 2021 at 9:01 am

      Welcome Kim! 🙂 Thank you for the comment!

      Reply
  5. John Knape

    July 18, 2023 at 3:31 pm

    This site is always my first choice when I'm in the mood to try something new. Thanks for all the great recipes. I thought this dish needed more chili flavor. I doubled up on the chili powder and cumin, then added some chipotle chili powder for a little heat. That did the trick!

    Reply
  6. Michelle Rousseau

    January 20, 2024 at 7:33 am

    Really enjoyed this recipe, Cathy. Thank you! This is the first vegan chili I’ve been truly happy with. I didn’t have a bell pepper or cauliflower, but I had some roasted red peppers, and Yukon gold potatoes, and those substitutions worked great. I added some chili con carne and ground cumin, and ancho chili pepper, too. It’s wonderful. Thank you!

    Reply
  7. Eric Blackwell

    April 11, 2025 at 5:42 am

    I really enjoyed this chili. It is super healthy. Definitely add avocado. I also used Kirkland no salt seasoning just to boost up the flavor profile a little bit. Thank you for such a high fiber, high plant protein nutritious recipe. Will definitely be making this again.

    Reply

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