This protein-packed vegetarian chili recipe is a one-pot wonder. Throw in your ingredients and let the stove do the hard work.
If you know you have a hectic week, making a healthy dinner each night can be next to impossible. Borrow a page from Tonal coach Trace Gotsis’ meal-prep playbook and cook up some healthy comfort food, like this vegetarian chili recipe, that you don’t mind going back to over and over.
“If I know I have a decently busy week coming up, this chili is the batch cook option for me,” he says. “I’m making a big pot to last me three or four days. And during the fall and winter especially, this veggie chili holds a special place in my heart.”
You can make this simple recipe in just four steps and help nourish your muscles after a hard session. “This meal is a wonderful way to refuel and replenish on a more strenuous training day,” says John Christie, a registered dietitian and director of Curriculum Intelligence at Tonal. “It has a good balance of nutritional substance and calories from plant-based sources like tofu and beans and provides essential amino acids for a complete protein.”
Christie adds that this meal doubles down on recovery and warm feels. “Chili is one of those satisfying comfort dinners that you can really sit down to enjoy at the end of a day,” he says.
He’s not wrong. This dinner will definitely hit the spot on a weeknight after a busy day and arduous training session. You get heartiness from the tofu, filling fiber from the beans, and heat and flavorful tang from warm spices and rich, stewed tomatoes.
This veggie chili settles well in the fridge, and while cooking it, you can double up on ingredients for extra portions to freeze. Having a few healthy frozen meals stashed away will come in handy on days when you don’t feel like cooking or find yourself scrambling for a quick nutrient-dense meal.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. red chili flakes
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. chipotle powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 14oz. packet of tofu, diced
- 2 cans of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans of pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 cans diced tomatoes
- 2 green bell peppers, sliced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- One cup of water
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, all the spices, and tofu and cook for about five minutes.
- Add the beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and water to the saucepan, stir together and bring to a boil.
- Partially cover with a lid and simmer for about 45-60 minutes and then season with salt and pepper and then remove from the heat. The chili will thicken up as it cools.
Note: These values below represent an estimate of one serving.
- Calories: 562 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 60g
- Fiber: 19g
- Protein: 38g
- Fat: 17g
