Oil Free Bean Chili with Zucchini! Discover the perfect balance of flavor and nutrition that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you feeling energized!

Get ready to savor a bowl of our Oil-Free Bean Chili with Zucchini, a delightful dish bursting with rich, savory flavors that will warm your soul. This recipe showcases the vibrant taste of fresh garden zucchini, which not only enhances the chili’s heartiness but also packs in a nutritious punch.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

From the moment we took our first spoonful of this mouthwatering chili, it was love at first bite! It’s perfect for cozy nights in or impressing friends at your next gathering. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also packed with nutritious ingredients that make you feel good about indulging.

You gotta give this one a try!

Tips for Success:

Flavor Profile: This oil free Bean Chili with Zucchini is full of delicious chili flavors. Fresh garden zucchini adds extra heartiness and is a great way to get in those nutritious veggies.
Tomato Paste: Make sure you take an extra minute to smash in the tomato paste and minced garlic into the sauteed diced onions and jalapeno.
Spices: This chili has great flavor; however, feel free to increase/decrease the spices to suit your own tastes.
Regular Chili Powder: Feel free to use your favorite chili powder, just be sure to select a mild one and not one that has a lot of heat to it.
Cayenne Pepper: Feel free to add more heat by increasing the cayenne pepper.
Canned Chopped Mild Green Chiles: Be sure to select canned chopped mild green chiles as they also come in hot to avoid a chili with a lot of heat, unless of course a lot of heat is desired.
Zucchini: We used 3 – 8 oz. zucchinis. After chopping off the ends and dicing them, we ended up with 4 cups or 1 lb. 5 oz. Do not use zucchinis that are larger than 8 oz. unless you seed them. Smaller zucchinis tend to hold their shape better than larger ones. Leaving the skins on also helps keep the integrity of the zucchini. The key is to not allow the zucchinis to become mushy.
Kidney Beans/Black Beans: Feel free to use your favorite beans (e.g. all black beans, all kidney beans, or substitute with pinto beans).
Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes. We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the petite diced tomatoes) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. However, if you prefer that ‘tinny’ flavor that comes from canned tomatoes, then leave out the baking soda or perhaps use a tiny pinch.
Table Salt: If using table salt, you should use less table salt than the amount listed in the ingredients as sea salt crystals are larger than table salt crystals. Since table salt crystals are very fine, less table salt is required to season a dish. We would suggest starting with about 1/4 to 1/2 the amount of sea salt listed. You can always add more salt but cannot take it away. We recommend using sea salt as it is less refined than table salt.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.

This chili freezes well.

Pantry Products:

Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Equipment:

Large Stock pot

If you try this comforting chili, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Oil Free Bean Chili with Zucchini

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Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 35-40 Minutes
Total Time: 45 Minutes
Yield: 10 Cups 1x
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

Get ready to savor a bowl of our Oil-Free Bean Chili with Zucchini, a delightful dish bursting with rich, savory flavors that will warm your soul.

Instructions

Place all the Spice/Herb Ingredients (except the cayenne pepper) into a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
Place the diced onions and jalapeno pepper in a deep stock pot, sauté over medium heat until somewhat tender, approx. 7 to 9 minutes. Add a splash of water if needed to prevent burning or sticking.
Add the garlic and tomato paste, sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add the Spice/Herb Mix, sauté for 1 minute until the spices become fragrant, stirring constantly.
Then add all the remaining Base Ingredients (except the baking soda), bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Add the baking soda, stir constantly for 1 minute.
Then add the kidney beans and black beans, simmer over low heat (very gently bowl) for 20 to 25 minutes, then add the diced zucchini and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the zucchini reaches the desired tenderness.
Serve with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Servings: 5 to 6 (makes 10 cups)

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