We’ve had a relatively mild winter here with plenty of warm days scattered in. I feel like, in a way, it makes the cold days worse. Today it’s chilly and rainy and suddenly feels like arctic tundra.

What does that mean? Comfort food, of course. This veggie-loaded chili is just perfect for a rainy Lenten Friday.

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• Ingredients
• Directions
• This can be made ahead
• Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, quartered
• 1 yellow bell pepper, quartered
• 2 large portobello mushroom caps
• 1 red onion, sliced 3/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup beer
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, for serving
• Diced green onions, for serving

This chili is loaded with so many of my favorite veggies – bell peppers, zucchini, red onion. Not your favorite veggies? This recipe is so flexible! Add or subtract to your liking! Grilling them all brings out an awesome, smoky flavor.

You’ll want to use fresh vegetables, not frozen, for this dish. Fresh vegetables retain their consistency better, which will make the chili more hearty.

Directions

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high.
2. Place the zucchini, red pepper, yellow pepper, mushroom, and onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with 6 Tbsp. olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the grill, in batches if needed, and cook for about 8 minutes, turning once, until charred.
3. Transfer cooked vegetables to a plate. When cool enough to handle, chop into bite-sized pieces.
4. In a large saucepan, heat remaining olive oil. Add garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add the black beans to the pan and heat through.
6. Stir in the vegetables and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Stir in the beer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced.
8. Add in vegetable broth and simmer over low heat until it thickens up, about another 10 minutes.
9. Serve topped with cheese and green onions.

This chili is really made in two phases. First, you’re prepping and grilling all the vegetables. Then, they get assembled into the fabulous chili.

This can be made ahead

If you’re short on time, you can definitely break up the steps. The veggies can be grilled and chopped ahead – refrigerate until ready to cook the chili.

Or, you can assemble the whole thing ahead of time. This chili reheats really well!

Recipe

Grilled Vegetable Chili

Yield: 4-6 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

This smoky, vegetable chili is bursting with flavor.

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Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, sliced 1/2-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, quartered
• 1 yellow bell pepper, quartered
• 2 large portobello mushroom caps
• 1 red onion, sliced 3/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup beer
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar, for serving
• Diced green onions, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high.
2. Place the zucchini, red pepper, yellow pepper, mushroom, and onion in a large bowl. Drizzle with 6 Tbsp. olive oil and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the grill, in batches if needed, and cook for about 8 minutes, turning once, until charred.
3. Transfer cooked vegetables to a plate. When cool enough to handle, chop into bite-sized pieces.
4. In a large saucepan, heat remaining olive oil. Add garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add the black beans to the pan and heat through.
6. Stir in the vegetables and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Stir in the beer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook about 10 minutes, until slightly reduced.
8. Add in vegetable broth and simmer over low heat until it thickens up, about another 10 minutes.
9. Serve topped with cheese and green onions.

Notes

This recipe is flexible! Swap out the veggies for your favorites!