Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
SERVES: 4 TO 6
PRESSURE LEVEL: HIGH
RELEASE: QUICK
TOTAL TIME: ABOUT 1½ HOURS
TIME UNDER PRESSURE: 45 MINUTES
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Vegetarian black bean chili is tricky since you can’t use the smoky ham hock or bacon that you typically find in non-vegetarian versions. For flavor without the meat, we browned a good amount of aromatics and spices and made sure to use flavorful dried beans rather than canned. The pressure cooker cut their traditional cooking time in half. Soaking dried beans helps prevent them from bursting, but here we opted to just rinse them since broken beans helped thicken the chili. Serve with your favorite chili garnishes. See the step shot and Troubleshooting that follows the recipe.
INGREDIENTS
|
3 |
tablespoons vegetable oil |
|
1 |
onion, chopped |
|
3 |
tablespoons chili powder |
|
2 |
tablespoons ground cumin |
|
9 |
garlic cloves, minced |
|
1–3 |
teaspoons minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce |
|
2½ |
cups vegetable broth |
|
2½ |
cups water |
|
1 |
(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes |
|
1 |
pound (2½ cups) dried black beans, picked over and rinsed |
|
1 |
pound white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered |
|
2 |
bay leaves |
|
2 |
red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces |
|
½ |
cup minced fresh cilantro |
|
Salt and pepper |
1. BUILD FLAVOR: Heat oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin, garlic, and chipotle and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth, water, tomatoes, beans, mushrooms, and bay leaves, scraping up any browned bits.
2. HIGH PRESSURE FOR 45 MINUTES: Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 45 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.
3. QUICK RELEASE PRESSURE: Remove pot from heat. Quick release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.
4. BEFORE SERVING: Remove bay leaves. Bring chili to simmer, stir in bell peppers, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
VARIATION
Tequila and Lime Black Bean Chili
Stir 3 tablespoons tequila into pot with broth. Stir 1 tablespoon tequila, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1 teaspoon grated lime zest into finished chili with cilantro.
Garden Vegetable Black Bean Chili
Add 1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced ½ inch thick, 1 cup frozen corn, and 1 large chopped tomato to pot with bell pepper. Simmer as needed to thicken before serving.
Black Bean and Sausage Chili
Omit mushrooms. Add 1 pound kielbasa sausage, sliced ½ inch thick, and 8 ounces andouille sausage, cut into ½-inch pieces, to pot with broth.