Beans or no beans? Meat or no meat? This four bean mushroom chili is all good, and feeds a crowd!
It’s’ spring break time for many schools, and my eldest granddaughter arrived this weekend with several of her friends to celebrate their time off. It’s always such a pleasure to have them around, and my grandson and his girlfriend also joined us for the weekend as well, along with my youngest granddaughter, so the house was bursting full and blow-up camping mattresses were happily engaged.
Let’s go to the flower show!
First order of business was planning our excursion to the Vermont Flower Show! We anticipate this stunning event, a time to browse through spring flowers, displays, and inhale the scent of the season that is not yet upon us. The promise of what’s to come, complete with a theme and lots of treasures. This year it was “A Story of Gardening” and featured an English Cottage Garden, Tea House Garden, and Medieval, Islamic, and Victory gardens, all flanked by streams of blooming tulips.
Now, what will we eat?
Second order of business was planning our meals. As one can imagine, with this many souls, there will be some dietary restrictions: allergies to chocolate and strawberries, peaches, and nuts, lactose intolerance, and non-meat and dairy eaters. Creative menu planning was definitely job one!
Chili to warm the body
For the first evening, youngest granddaughter and I decided on vegetarian chili, which just happens to be one of her favorites, with all the toppings. Lots of beans of course, and plenty of mushrooms to replace the meat. We decided to make it low an slow from scratch using dried beans because we love the ritual of it.
A line in the sand
Now, the wonderful world of chili has definite camps of connoisseurs – there are those who think it can’t possibly be chili if it contains beans, or even tomato, and there are others who can’t imagine the dish without them, and that includes this New Englander. The line in the sand is firmly drawn, with few trespassers.
That can’t be real chili!
However, the subject of a meatless chili moves the dish out of the realm of possibility for a majority of people in both the previous camps. What? Chili with no meat? That’s not chili!
Good for all
But I promise you, you won’t miss the meat! And, the biggest benefit to me is that everyone can eat this.
A great main course of topping
I love chili and all the wonderful things you can do with it. It’s a perfect main course, dressed up any way you like, but it also serves as a versatile side dish and topping or filling for everything from hotdogs or a salad to burritos or tacos. And it is wonderful to eat by the fire while the chilly spring rains coax the flowers out of the ground! That’s how we enjoyed it this weekend.
Several ways to cook this
You can start this recipe the night before by soaking your beans. You can also cook the dried beans without soaking in your pressure cooker or multi cooker the day of the dish, just add a pinch of baking soda.
Under pressure
I cooked the beans on the pressure setting of the multi-cooker because I’ve usually cooked my dried beans under pressure to save a lot of time. You can easily do this whole dish in a slow cooker or the pressured multi-cooker, but my favorite way to cook a chili is in my Dutch oven, low and slow, with a stir now and then to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. I like the experience of stirring and tasting this dish while letting it cook away in the kitchen all day, the aromas making the house feel snug and comforting.
As you like it
But, in a pinch, you can cook the beans under pressure and add everything else after they are cooked. Then, either proceed with more pressure, or switch to the slow cooker settings. It’s all about how much time you have and how you feel like cooking on any particular day. You can put this together in the morning in the slow cooker, and you’ll have chili after work.
Or, use the oven
You can also bring this to a boil, cover, and cook in the oven at 275 for a few hours. This requires only the occasional stir.
Of course, there are always canned beans, I won’t tell
Never fear. If you are short of time, this whole thing can come together in less than an hour using canned beans. Sometimes shortcuts are necessary in the kitchen, but if you have the time, cooking your beans from scratch really does make the dish taste better.
Long list, not much hands-on time
This looks like a lot of ingredients, and it is, but most of the work is in the chopping, everything else is assembly of pantry and spice rack ingredients. Once you get everything chopped, it is a quick dish to put together and the real time involved is in the simmering.
Don’t toss the mushroom liquid
Soaking the dried mushrooms gives you not only some nice tender mushrooms to add to the pot, but some lovely soaking juice that adds flavor. Don’t toss that out.
Bloom the spices
The blooming of the spices is important in any dish. After sautéing the onion and leek, push them aside and cook your tomato paste and spices. It makes are really big difference to the flavor of the finished product.
Wine and chocolate
The cocoa powder provides the chocolate layer, and the red wine intensifies the whole dish, along with the tomato paste. In addition to the chipotle, I used cayenne and poblano peppers. These add slightly different types of flavor and heat to round everything out. This is how I made it one day. Taste as you go along and adjust the heat to where you like it. If you don’t want a lot of heat, use just one chipotle and add just a little cayenne, then keep tasting and adjusting. Use whatever beans you like, but think about the size and texture and mix it up a bit. I added the sweet potatoes this time around because I had them on hand and they added some additional nutrition. Two did not like this addition, so I guess everyone was not completely happy!
Freezes well, too!
This makes a lot of chili, plenty for the freezer and the rest of the week if you are not celebrating spring break with a delightful invasion of youth!
Four-Bean and Mushroom Chili for a Crowd
- ¾ cup dried kidney beans
- ¾ cup dried black beans
- ¾ cup dried adzuki beans
- Water
- Handful of dried shiitake or porcini mushrooms
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 leek, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tbsp. tomato paste
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne
- 1 ½ cup diced sweet potatoes (optional)
- 1 large sweet red pepper, diced
- 1 large poblano pepper, diced
- 2 large ribs celery, diced
- 1 lb. mushrooms of choice, chopped
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 14-ounce tomato sauce
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup French lentils (optional, but adds texture)
- 2 chipotle peppers, canned in adobo, or to taste
- 2 tbsp. or so adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
Soak your beans, and cook them as you normally would in water, either on stove top or pressure cooked. I cooked mine in a multi-cooker on pressure for 20 minutes and let the pressure release naturally. They were perfect.
Soak your dried mushrooms. The mushrooms are optional, but add a texture and a lovely flavor to the dish. Place the shiitake mushrooms in a small saucepan with a cup of water and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let sit for a half hour.
Again, if you need to save time, you can use canned beans in this recipe; the flavor will not be quite as wonderful, but it’s all about the seasonings.
In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add the onion and leeks. Sauté until the vegetables are soft, and push them to the side. Add the garlic and tomato paste and let these cook for a minute or two, stirring them, so the flavors can bloom. Add the cumin, chili powder, paprika, and cayenne and continue to cook to bloom the spices, another minute or two.
Add the sweet potatoes, peppers, celery, and mushrooms and mix everything up well. continue cooking until the vegetables just start to soften.
Add the canned tomatoes and put the dried mushrooms and soaking liquid in the can. Add enough water to fill the can and add to the pot. Add the tomato sauce and a can of water as well along with the red wine and cocoa powder.
The chipotle peppers in a can are packed in adobo sauce. Take out one or two of the peppers (you know how much heat you like) and chop them finely with a sharp knife. They will turn to mush. Add these and two tablespoons of the adobo to the pot, reserving the rest for another dish, or for this pot of chili if you like things hotter.
Bring everything to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cook for 2 hours or so, until everything is thick and well married.
Taste at this point and correct the seasoning. Is this at the heat level you like? If you need more spice, add an additional chipotle and more adobo, and perhaps a little more cayenne. Red pepper flakes also add a different type of heat to the pot.
Top with all the usual chili adornments, or leave it plain. We like cheese, avocado, and scallions, but other good toppings are sour cream, yogurt, raw chopped onions, black olives, more hot sauce, or fresh parsley or cilantro.
Serve any way you like chili! Do you always have it with cornbread? Corn chips on the side? Or maybe you like some nice dipping bread.
Second Act
Warmed up the next day, this makes a perfect Sloppy Chili Joe when served atop a hamburger bun.
A few highlights from the 2025 Vermont Flower Show
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Love chili and this recipe sounds delish!
Thank you Marilyn. I really love chili, and this one made most everyone happy, sweet potato haters aside!
I’m with you, D! Gotta have the beans! This chili looks amazing!
Thank you! It was delightful, and stretched a long way!
This is such a delicious mixture of ingredients. The perfect vegetarian winter dish! Love the seasoning, and the addition of mushrooms. 🙂
Thank you Ronit! The mushrooms were quite meaty and delicious here! We definitely enjoyed it.
The flower show looks wonderful, Dorothy. Thanks for this recipe. I love chili and am trying to include more vegetarian dishes in my menus.
This one is really hearty and pleased the meat eaters!
My you packed a lot of flavor into your chili. Bet it tastes wonderful.
Thank you Jan! It was delicious, and better the next day.
Love a good chili and this one looks heart and delicious! Love the addition of lentils
The lentils add their own special texture to the dish, and I love them a lot so in they went!
Lovely on all counts! I did enjoy the garden photos, and wish I could just import them all into my yard and be done with it! The chili sounds delicious.
Thank you! It was a fun day for us all.
PS: Love the kids, especially your grandson’s T-shirt!
Not my grandson, my granddaughter’s classmate. They all had a good time!
I’m a fan of veg chilli and make it quite often. I agree that meat isn’t necessary to make it a tasty dish. I hadn’t thought of adding cocoa or red wine, however, so may give those a try next time round!
A little flavor here, and a little flavor there…
Looks very tasty
Thank you! It was full of flavor Sheree!
😎
It’s not easy finding something to satisfy a crowd with several dietary restrictions. This chili sounds like the perfect warm meal for creating warm memories with everyone!
Thank you! It was fun too, because everyone got to build their own chili how they liked it!
I’ve never put red wine in chili. I do sometimes add a beer though. I do use tomatoes and beans, so now sure about the authenticity of what I make. Just know it tastes good to us.
Whatever you love is absolutely right! I might try beer the next time!
Looks very good!
Thank you! It was tasty, and pleased the crowd. Of course, so did the flower show!
Food looks good as always, but the flower show really quickened my pulse. Ah, spring.
Yes, it definitely lifted my spirits!
A LOT of ingredients but what fun to have a pot ready 🙂 ! Methinks I would love to have such in the fridge . . , I always have a variety of flatbreads of various kinds handy and would it not be great to have a filled one for a meal on a busy day > yummy bigtime 🙂 !
Perfect stuffed in or on a flatbread, and we ha the last of it with eggs like a shakshouka!
With a pot full of goodness like this who’s going to miss meat!! Very satisfying.
Great photos of the gardens too.
Thanks Mary! The show was a much needed explosion of color!
This post certainly had my mouth watering. I, too, make chili when we have family and friends over. I often freeze it and then take it out to be warmed out. Also, what a delightful weekend you must have had. Flower show+ family sound like the perfect antidote for March. 😉
We had such a fun time, and it’s always a joy cooking for a crowd, especially when everyone is so appreciative.
Your cozy descriptions make me smile.
😌
Wonderful all around! I’m a big fan of chocolate in chili.
Thank you! It was really tasty!
Your recipes always have glorious twists to them, Dorothy. This looks delicious. I’m a big mushroom lover, so I’ll definitely try this. And cocoa! OMG. How interesting. Love to you, my friend.
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy as much as we did!
Wow!!! What a great recipe! So many fun ingredients! I used to make something similar when my husband was a vegetarian. But I don’t like adzuki beans.
Thanks Mimi!
I’ve used different beans and different mushrooms here, it’s all good!
I have to have beans in my Chili. If not, it becomes Hot Dog topping.
I will try this recipe.
Thanks!
I’m firmly in the must have beans camp! It’s just a thick sauce without them!
By the way, adding wine makes this chili even more intriguing. I have added chocolate to my Chili before but never cocoa. You do make us all think outside the box. Well done my friend!
Thank you Nancy! How can we not love wine and chocolate?
Flavor all the way!
Your chili looks divine! I look forward to trying it!
Thank you! It went a long way!
I love a good chilli! This one sounds fantastic.
Thank you! It sure went a long way!
Beans in mine please! I love the ingredients you used. I don’t ever eat chili by itself, my husband loves Cincinnati chili so it’s always over pasta. He dislikes beans and I like the hot kidney beans in mine so he makes two batches.
Then everyone is happy!
I am going to do this one he hates beans I love kidney beans or navy or even black bean for me, but he is picky so like #indianeskitchen I will make two big batch for me small for him and use garden veggies come Aug. yum!
We do what we can to please!
Dorothy, you are a work and a wonder, and it doesn’t surprise me that so many young people want to stay with you, break bread, with chili of course, and attend the famous Vermont Flower Show! I love chili but I like it with meat. Let me know what I can add that would go well with all the other ingredients. I have a slow cooker that might work for this recipe. My family is going to be blown away. Thanks for sharing your favorite recipes and you sweet life with us. Hugs, C
Thank you my dear, you are always so sweet.
You can use whatever meat you would normally put in chili, but it’s a good place to slip in some lower fat ground turkey. No one will be any the wiser! I’d probably omit the larger mushrooms, just not needed.
The flower show looks like a fun activity! Lots of whimsy and all those beautiful flowers! I love your vegetarian chili, and I agree that meat is largely unnecessary. As long as you have lots of interesting texture and all those layers of flavors, it would be satisfying!
My wife is a vegetarian so we used plant-based meat sub. to make our chili. I mentioned your recipe to her. We’ll probably give it a go. She’s a mushroom fan and shitakes are her favorites. Cheers, M
Thanks! I hope she enjoys it!