Any meatless meal that James finds edible, I call a success. This recipe is from the amazing people at Cook’s Illustrated, who have yet to let me down. Ok, that’s not entirely true. I didn’t love their Snickerdoodles, but I’ll forgive them on that one.

The recipe explains that diced tomatoes, pureed slightly in a blender makes the best chili texture. It takes just a few pulses to make them slightly smooth, yet still thick. The chili has a prominent chipotle flavor from the 2-3 tsp of minced chipotle peppers. If you’re not a fan of heat or chipotle flavor, I would cut this down a bit, maybe to a tsp.

James did make the comment, “some beef would taste good in this,” so if you’re looking for a meaty chili, add a pound of ground beef or turkey. As with most chili recipes, it makes fantastic leftovers. And the best part…wait for it…IT’S A 30 MINUTE MEAL! Yes, it’s true. Now go ahead and make it!

Bean and Corn Vegetarian Chili (serves 4-6)
Ingredients:

1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
1-15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1-15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2-3 tsp chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 onion, minced
3 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen corn, thawed
2 Tbs fresh cilantro, minced

Puree tomatoes in a blender using 4-5 pulses. You want it to remain slightly chunky. In a large saucepan bring tomatoes, beans, chipotle peppers, sugar and a 1/2 tsp salt to a boil. Reduce to a simmer until needed in later steps.

In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed stock pot, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion, chili powder, cumin and 1/8 tsp salt. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Stir tomato mixture into the dutch oven, scraping any brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.

Add corn and cilantro and return to a simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

From The Best 30-Minute Recipe