Caramelizing onions with bell pepper, tomato paste, garlic, and spices sets the stage for a shortcut black bean chili. A few simple substitutions quickly change everything. For even more flavor, substitute a 12-ounce bottle of beer for 1½ cups of the water in Step 3. Serve this vegetarian chili with warmed tortillas or chips, rice, or cornbread if you’ve got some. It’s also good tossed with pasta.
This recipe was excerpted from ‘How to Cook Everything Fast, Revised Edition’ by Mark Bittman. Buy the full book on Amazon.
White Bean Green Chili: Use 1 (11-oz.) can crushed or whole tomatillos instead of the tomato paste and navy beans instead of black beans. Substitute 1 large or 2 small poblano chiles for the bell pepper. Reduce the water to 2 cups. If using whole tomatillos, before adding the beans in Step 3, use a potato masher to break them up. Keep the garnish or sprinkle with pepitas (hulled green pumpkin seeds) before serving.
Pinto Bean Chili: Substitute pinto beans for the black beans and use a green bell pepper instead of red. Grated cheddar cheese and chopped green onion make good garnish options. Everything else stays the same.
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