This lentil chili is a different take on a Fall classic. I’m always looking for new ways to cook lentils, and this one’s a hit at my house.
In this recipe, lentils, onions, garlic, diced tomatoes, red and black beans are cooked in a tex-mex inspired seasoned broth. It’s a filling and delicious non-conventional chili that’s affordable and makes a great meatless meal.
What type of lentils to use?
There are four general categories for lentils: brown, green, red/yellow and specialty. For this dish we recommend using brown or green lentils. They hold their shape with longer cooking times, they’re affordable and easy to find at just about any supermarket.
If you’re looking to add more lentils to your diet, check out this article all about how to cook lentils including some great recipes to get you started.
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion, finely diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, optional
- 1 (15 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes, we used fire roasted tomatoes
- 12 ounces Dried Lentils, use brown or green lentils
- 6 cups Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth if you want to keep it vegetarian
- 1-2 Bay Leaves
- 1 (15 ounce) can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can Red Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (6-8 ounce) can Corn, drained
- Salt, to taste if needed at the end
Optional topping ideas
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Corn Chips (like Fritos)
- Crumbled Tortilla Chips
- Corn Bread
- Diced Avocado
- Chopped Cilantro or Parsley
- Hot Sauce
Prep work
The prep work for this chili is quick and easy. The only knife work involved is for the onion and garlic. Everything else is a snap. We’ll start the prep work sorting the lentils. Don’t skip this step I’ve found small stones in dry lentils before.
- Place the lentils in a large, bowl or on a clean, flat surface. Pick through them carefully and remove any foreign objects, such as tiny rocks, twigs, misshaped beans, etc. Then, rinse them well with cool water and drain.
Dice the onions - Mince the garlic
- Combine the chili powder, cumin, black pepper and crushed red pepper, if using, in a small bowl.
- Rinse the black and red beans. The best way to do this is to add them to a colander and run gently under cool water until the water runs clear.
- Drain the corn
- Gather the remaining ingredients
How to make lentil chili
This is a one pot meal that’s really easy to put together.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. We used an enameled cast-iron dutch oven. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until they’re translucent and start to soften, stir frequently.
Next, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes (if using); cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add the chopped tomatoes, lentils, chicken broth and the bay leaves to the pot. Stir well. Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer the lentils for 25 minutes or until almost tender. Stir occasionally. If at this point they are not close to done, then give them another 10 minutes and check again.
Add the beans and corn to the lentils and stir well to combine. Continue cooking, covered and still on medium-low heat, for 15-20 minutes to let the flavors to come together and to get the lentils very tender. Stir the chili occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- If the lentil chili needs thickening, uncover the pot for a little while and let some of the liquid cook out. Keep the chili at a simmer and stir occasionally; lower the heat a little if it starts to boil too vigorously.
- If it’s too thick for your taste, then add a little bit of broth to loosen it up and continue cooking until heated through.
Use tongs to fish out the bay leaves, remove and discard.
Taste and season
It’s best to wait until the end to add extra salt to this lentil chili. The chicken (or vegetable) broth, canned beans and diced tomatoes all contain a good amount of salt already. Taste the lentils at the end and add salt if needed. Also, keep in mind the toppings you’re serving before adding extra salt. For example, if your toppings are salty like cheese or chips then factor that in when deciding. As a reference we didn’t add any extra salt to ours.
Serve the lentil chili with your choice of toppings and enjoy!
Cook’s Notes: As with all beans, the cooking time offered for lentils is just an estimate. Actual cooking time will depend on how soft you like them and the freshness of the beans. The fresher the lentils the quicker they will cook.
You may also like these lentil recipes:
Lentil Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion finely diced
- 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes optional
- 1 (15 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes we used fire roasted tomatoes
- 12 ounces Dried Lentils use brown or green lentils
- 6 cups Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
- 1-2 Bay Leaves
- 1 (15 ounce) can Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 ounce) can Red Beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (6-8 ounce) can Corn drained
- Salt to taste if needed at the end
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3-4 minutes until they’re translucent and start to soften, stir frequently.
- Next, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes (if using); cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring frequently.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, lentils, chicken broth and the bay leaves to the pot. Stir well.
- Raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer the lentils for 25 minutes or until almost tender. Stir occasionally.
- Add the red and black beans and corn to the lentils, stir well to combine. Continue cooking, covered, on medium-low heat, for 15-20 minutes to let the flavors to come together and to get the lentils very tender. Stir the chili occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Find the bay leaves, remove and discard.
- Taste the lentils and add salt if needed. Also, keep in mind the toppings you’re serving before adding extra salt. For example, if your toppings are salty like cheese or chips then factor that in when deciding. As a reference we didn’t add any extra salt to ours.
- Serve the lentil chili with your choice of toppings!
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