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Three Bean Chili

a bowl of chili garnished with crushed tortilla chips.

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5 from 2 reviews

Three Bean Chili is a super easy recipe with just a 10-minute prep time! It combines pinto beans, black beans, and kidney beans, along with a few other pantry ingredients for a low-fuss vegetarian chili that’s ready in about an hour. Plus, it keeps well in the fridge or freezer!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 1 (4-ounce) cans diced jalapeno
  • 1 (15-ounce can) fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 (15-ounce can) tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • Juice of 1 lime

Instructions

  1. Place everything but the lime juice and cilantro in a large pot and stir to combine. Cover the pot and cook the chili over medium-low to low heat for 45 to 60 minutes. Stir it occasionally and adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer.
  2. Remove the lid and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Ladle the chili into bowls and top with your favorite chili toppings.

Notes

Be sure to keep the chili covered as it cooks and only give it a stir once in a while. The condensation that builds up on the inside of the lid with thin the chili, so it’s not super thick. That said, the final consistency is on the thicker side, but you can thin it by adding a few splashes of water or vegetable broth if you prefer a thinner consistency.

If you prefer to make this in your slow cooker, you can! Combine everything but the lime juice and cilantro in the slow cooker, stir, and cook it on low for a couple of hours. Add the lime juice and cilantro before serving it.

Toppings ideas: Crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, sour cream, guacamole, diced avocado – these are a few I like!

Storage: Leftover chili will keep in an airtight container for three to four days in the refrigerator. Or, you can freeze it for several months. It will thicken when it’s cold, so add a splash or so of water when you warm it up.

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