Easy Kidney Bean Chilli (30 Minute Vegetarian Dinner)
Every time I have a good vegetarian chilli and rice for dinner, I wonder why I don’t make it more often – it’s so easy to make, packed with good ingredients, and is so delicious (especially if you add some fun toppings!). This easy kidney bean chilli is such a brilliant weeknight dinner that can be on the table in just 30 minutes. It’s hearty, comforting, and made with simple store cupboard ingredients – so easy!
You might also like: Easy Kidney Bean Curry; One Pot Vegetarian Chilli Mac; Black Bean and Halloumi Chilli.
Kidney beans are the star of this tasty chilli, but I also included plenty of veggies, which give the perfect combination of protein and fibre, flavour and freshness, making this a hearty, balanced meal that’s as nourishing as it is delicious.
👧🏻 Kid-Friendly Vegetarian Chilli
This easy bean chilli is just the sort of thing I love to cook up on a weeknight after a busy day of work and school. It’s quick and easy, and my kids love sprinkling some cheese onto their own plates, and adding dollops of sour cream (or Greek yogurt, if that’s what we have in the fridge!).
I make it fairly mild (but you could easily add some more chilli for an extra kick!), and chop the veggies super small in the food processor – itty bitty pieces that my kids have a harder time noticing!
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🥗 Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this weeknight vegetarian chilli recipe.
Detailed ingredient quantities (in both US and UK recipe formats) can be found in the printable recipe card.
- kidney beans – canned ones, to make this quick dinner really convenient.
- canned tomatoes
- vegetables – I used mushrooms, red onion and pepper. It all gets blitzed up together, so you can add whatever you like the sound of, or whatever you have in the fridge to use up.
- walnuts – to add a nice texture.
- spices – I used chilli powder, cumin, smoked paprika.
- garlic – I used pre-minced garlic from a jar because it’s super quick and easy to use.
Becca’s Top Tip
This chilli is even better the next day, so feel free to double the recipe if you want leftovers! If you don’t want to eat the same meal twice, the same mixture can be repurposed into a stuffing for burritos or a nacho topping!
You could also try…
One Pot Vegetarian Chilli Mac
Easy Kidney Bean Curry
Black Bean and Halloumi Chilli
🔪 Equipment
I chopped all the veggies for this bean chilli in my food processor, which only takes about 10 seconds. If you don’t have a food processor then of course you can just chop your veg by hand, but this will add a little more prep time to your dinner. Using the food processor just makes everything so quick, and also chops everything really finely.
Of course, it does also give you a few more bits to wash up, but that may not be an issue for you if you have a dishwasher like I do. Just go for the option that works best for your needs!
If you do decide to go the food processor route, here’s one on Amazon with great reviews, which is really similar to the kind I use:
🖨️ Printable Instructions
Easy Vegetarian Kidney Bean Chilli
If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin Comment(if you suffer from allergies, please double check all ingredients before eating)
Ingredients
- 50 g (~ 1/2 cup) walnuts
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into a few pieces
- 150 g (~ 5 oz) mushrooms
- 1 small red onion (or 1/2 large), cut into a few pieces
- 400 g can kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
- 400 g can (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons mild chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Add the walnuts to a food processor, along with the roughly chopped pepper, mushrooms and onion.
- Blitz for a few seconds until roughly chopped. It doesn’t matter if it’s not chopped perfectly evenly – I quite like having a little variation in size and texture.
- Transfer the mixture to a saucepan. Add the remaining ingredients, and mix well.
- Turn the heat to medium, bring the mixture to a simmer, and cover the pan. Allow to cook for at least 20 minutes (longer is also good, if you have time), stirring a few times as needed.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm with your choice of sides or toppings.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes, it tastes great reheated the next day, so feel free to prepare it in advance if needed.
You can freeze this bean chilli in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Reheat thoroughly before serving.
If you don’t want to eat the same meal twice in a row, this vegetarian chilli also works really well as a filling for a bean burrito, or as a topping on some vegetarian nachos.
The only non-vegan ingredients I used were the cheese and sour cream I used as toppings. If you’d like a vegan meal, you can substitute with dairy-free versions, or use vegan toppings like guacamole and tortilla chips.
