If you are from Texas, you’ll have to just call this a bean and vegetable soup, but for everyone else I’m calling this a chili. The unsweetened cocoa powder brings out the perfect balanced rich taste and aroma. It is by far my favorite chili recipe and I’ve made quite a few. You’ll want to use an immersion blender or let it cool down a bit to blend in a regular blender. This will make for a perfect chili consistency. Personally, I love it served over a baked potato, which I’ve written in the recipe, but options for ways to eat it and what to serve on top are practically endless.
Yield: 4 baked potatoes and 6 servings of chili
Cook time: 1 hour, including baking potatoes. If you omit potatoes, cook time is ~ 35 minutes.
Ingredients
4 russet potatoes, washed
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tsp salt, divided (possibly more to taste in the chili)
1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup seeded and chopped bell pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tsp harissa powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp chili powder (more if you like it on the spicy side)
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 28-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups vegetable broth
Optional toppings: sliced avocado, green onions and jalapeños
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°. Using a fork, poke multiple holes in the sides of your washed potatoes. Prepare a baking sheet by putting tin foil on the baking sheet and then set a wire rack on top. Rub approximately 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp salt on the potatoes and place them on the wire rack. Once your oven is heated, bake potatoes for 50-60 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a stock pot or large dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 Tbsp of oil and once heated add chopped onion and bell pepper. Sauté over medium heat for 8-10. You can add water 1 Tbsp at a time to the pan to keep the vegetables from sticking. Add the garlic, cumin, harissa, chili powder, coriander, salt and cocoa powder and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, beans and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat on the burner and let simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend until about ⅔ of the soup is blended. You want to have some variety in texture, so I don’t recommend blending everything. If you do not have an immersion blender, let the chili cool enough so that it can be handled and won’t burn you. Blend about ⅔ of the chili in a blender and then return to the pot. Stir together to combine. Depending on the size of your blender, you may need to separate the amount you are able to blend so it does not overflow.
Serve chili over baked potatoes and add avocado, green onion, diced jalapeños or other desired toppings.
Comments