Categories: Drafts

Chipotle Vegetable Chili with Cornbread, Vegan, Gluten Free

Cool temperatures, back to school shopping, sounds of football, and the sudden bounty of root vegetables all signal one thing: chili season. My favorite way to eat chili is with vegetables and beans; healthy, hearty, and filling.

But no chili should go unadorned. Whether you garnish with cheddar and corn chips or serve with a baked potato, chili is asking to be the highlight of a dramatic show. Sometimes I’m lazy and spoon it over brown rice: boring, but today I made the right choice: scratch gluten free cornbread.

And then I did a thing… I baked the cornbread on the chili. You don’t have to do it this way, especially if you want leftover cornbread for another purpose. Bake it separately, or omit it if you have other plans for your chili, but I encourage you to give this “casserole” a go. The cornbread absorbs some of the moisture and flavor from the chili and helps cut the spiciness.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon, smoked flaky sea salt, chives or cilantro and a dollop of butter on your cornbread. The best comfort food ever! Store leftovers for meal prep throughout the week or freeze for later.

Recipe adapted from New York Times Vegetarian Chili with Winter Vegetables.

Chipotle Vegetable Chili with Cornbread

This delicious, smokey, vegan chili is warming and filling.

For the Chili

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion (diced, about 1 cup)
3 medium carrots (chopped)
1 fresno chili or jalapeno (diced finely, optional, for heat)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
1½ tbsp chipotle chili powder (to taste, many chili powders vary in intensity)
1 tsp cumin (ground)
28 oz diced tomatoes (canned, no sodium added)
1 tsp oregano (dried)
2 tbsp tomato paste (dissolved in 1 cup water or vegetable broth)
2 cups butternut squash (chopped into ½ inch cubes)
2 cups sweet potato (chopped into ½ inch cubes)
1 medium zucchini (chopped into ½ inch cubes, about 1 cup)
15 oz red kidney beans (canned, low sodium, drained and rinsed)
15 oz pinto beans (canned, low sodium, drained and rinsed)
15 oz black beans (canned, low sodium, with canning liquid)
salt and pepper (to taste)

For the Cornbread

1 cup cornmeal (certified gluten free if necessary)
1¼ cup gluten free 1:1 flour (such as Bob's Red Mill)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs (or ⅓ cup whipped aquafaba, for vegan)
1 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar or lemon juice)
5 tbsp buttery spread (melted and cooled, such as Earth Balance or Miyoko's)
1 tbsp honey (optional; omit for vegan)
1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned)

To Make the Chili

Add olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium heat.
Add onions, carrot and pepper and season generously with salt. Sautee for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add garlic and stir about 30 seconds.
Bloom the spices: add chili powder and cumin to pot, stirring to coat and cook until fragrant, around 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking, 10 minutes.
Add tomato paste and water mixture; simmer additional 10 minutes.
Add butternut squash, sweet potato, and zucchini and stir to distribute evenly. Add beans and the liquid from the black beans and stir carefully to evenly distribute. Pot will be nearly full, but the vegetables will reduce in size. Stir frequently.
WITHOUT CORNBREAD: Simmer on stove top over medium low heat for 30 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender, but not mushy. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, fresh herbs, and/or vegan cheese.
WITH CORNBREAD: Simmer on stove top over medium low heat for 20 minutes or until vegetables are al dente. They will continue to cook and soften in the oven.

To Make the Cornbread

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Add vinegar to almond milk and set aside to curdle, about 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat aquafaba until fluffy and peaks form, like a meringue; OR whisk eggs.
Combine eggs if using, butter, honey, and almond milk. If using aquafaba, continue to the next step.
Combine wet and dry ingredients, stir until just combined. Fold in aquafaba if using; fold in the corn.
Bake in a greased baking dish 20-30 minutes, depending on size pan; OR prepare your casserole

To Assemble the Casserole

If there are a couple inches of room left between the top of the chili and the dutch oven, you can bake in this. Otherwise, scoop roughly 4-5 cups chili into a lasagna dish, approximately 13X6X21". Top chili with cornbread batter and smooth evenly over top. Allow pot with remaining chili to simmer another 10 minutes and store as leftovers or freeze for later.
Bake 20-40 minutes. Baking time will depend on the type of pan you use, how thin you spread the batter and how deep the chili is beneath it. Bake until it is golden and the edges begin to brown.

Rachael Workman