Semi-Homemade Easy Vegetarian Chili Recipe

What image pops into your head when you think of the fall season? For me, it's pumpkins on the vine, golden afternoon sunlight, brilliant bursts of orange and red on the trees, juicy ripe apples, crisp fresh air . . . and chili!

Fall marks the beginning of chili season, and it's one of my favorite meals to make. My kids will actually eat it, it is filling, and you can make a big pot for leftovers (or freeze it for later). There's a chili recipe out there for everybody. Don't believe me? Go ask Google (for the record, dark chocolate chili sounds amazing). You can add and omit ingredients as you please, try different combinations (pumpkin chili, or beef and grape chili anyone?), and add different toppings (my husband introduced me to corn chips on chili, yum). Plus who doesn't like a good chili cook-off? It's a versatile dish and it brings people together. Win-win! (Can you tell I really like chili?)

So, you can make chili the "proper" way by taking a day to meticulously cut up ingredients, soak beans, mix your own combination of spices, and let it simmer slowly on the stove. The house feels super warm and cozy when a pot of chili is simmering on the stove. And it will, of course, make an excellent meal! I like making it this way when I can—but I don't often find the time.

Alternatively, you can follow my advice and make this super easy, semi-homemade vegetarian version and have chili anytime you want! There's no cutting up ingredients. There's no soaking beans. Mixing up spices? Nah. And there's no need to brown meat or let it simmer for hours. Just dump, heat, and eat. This recipe will save you precious time. With two kids in my household I don't get a lot of time to cook at night. This semi-homemade recipe allows me to still make a hearty family meal—just in a lot less time than a regular pot of chili!

First, prepare your tomato sauce. Using a blender or food processor, puree 6-7 medium tomatoes until smooth. This should give you about four cups of sauce. If you prefer, or are very short on time, use 4 cups of store-bought tomato sauce instead.

Note: If you grow tomato plants in the summer, preserving sauce to use for the winter is a great use of your tomatoes! I always try to freeze a bunch of sauce from my garden tomatoes, to make future chili dinners even easier.

Just dump all of the ingredients into a large pot! It doesn't get any easier than a one-pot meal. Be sure to drain and rinse your kidney, pinto, and black beans. Do not drain the chili beans. Dump it all in, and gently stir.

Note: If you prefer a lower-sodium version, just use low-sodium beans and chili seasoning. You can also use a chili seasoning with no MSG (this is my preference).

Heat on medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add your favorite toppings! I highly recommend sour cream with this chili. The chili is not overly spicy, but the sour cream tones down some of the mild spice and makes it a little creamy (which my kids appreciate). Other topping ideas include; crackers, corn chips, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, cilantro, diced onions, or candied jalapeños.

Enjoy!