The Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe

WW Recipe of the Day: Vegetarian Chili
(293 calories | *2 WW Freestyle SmartPoints)

Today I’m sharing a recipe for Vegetarian Chili perfect for Weight Watchers. It’s my personal favorite. This vegetarian chili is so thick and flavorful, you won’t miss the meat!

It’s a crowd pleasing hit with vegan, vegetarian, and meat eaters alike.

Through the years, I’ve made dozens of different kinds of chili from mild to spicy, with meat and without. This simple and delicious vegetarian chili recipe has become a personal favorite.

It’s lighter and healthier than traditional chili with meat but still hearty and satisfying. It’s perfect for parties, potlucks and watching football games with a crowd, since it’s a hearty meatless option that carnivores will also enjoy.
 

How Do You Make Vegetarian Meatless Chili?

That’s pretty easy. To make your chili meatless, just skip the meat!  For a meaty consistency you could use vegetarian crumbles but I prefer using bulgur, which provides a chewy, hearty almost meat like consistency.

What is Bulgur?

If you’re not familiar with bulgur, it’s a quick-cooking form of whole wheat that’s been partially cooked, dried and ground and is commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking.

Uncooked Bulgur

It’s the main ingredient in tabouli. You can find it in health food stores and most well-stocked grocery stores.

Vegetarian Chili Additions & Variations

Chili is one of those dishes that can be made a million different ways and is really hard to mess up, unless you try to get too creative with your spice combinations.

If you stick to the basics and control the amount of spice, it’s hard to go wrong. That being said, this recipe can be adapted and modified in lots of ways to suit your preferences.

WW Friendly Vegetarian Chili with Bulgur

Here are a few ideas for changing it a bit:

Spicier: Increase cayenne pepper or add fresh chiles with the onion, garlic and bell pepper. You could also stir in a little chipotle chile in adobo.

Fresher/Zestier: Finishing off the chili with a little splash of vinegar and fresh cilantro will make it taste super fresh.

Thicker: When done blend a small portion of the chili to give it more body.

Bulk it Up: Add more vegetables. chopped zucchini, sweet potato, butternut squash, or corn would all be good.

How Many Calories/WW Points in this Vegetarian Chili?

According to my calculations, this vegetarian chili has about 293 calories, *6 Weight Watchers PointsPlus, *6 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving.

This recipe now has *2 WW SmartPoints on the WW Freestyle Program. Enjoy!

Are You Ready To Firmly Plant Yourself
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If you enjoy this recipe for vegetarian chili, be sure to check out my other easy, healthy Weight Watchers friendly recipes including Easy Black Bean & Corn Soup, Pepperoni Pizza Chili, WW Lentil Sausage Stew, Slow Cooker Spicy Cajun Soup, WW Slow Cooker Chuck Wagon Chili, WW Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Chili, Slow Cooker Pumpkin Black Bean Chili, Slow Cooker 3 Bean Turkey Sausage Chili

If you’ve made this Meatless Chili, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it.

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4 from 9 votes

Healthy Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Easy, hearty and delicious vegetarian chili made with bulgur, a quick-cooking form of whole wheat, that provides a satisfying chewy texture. It's my favorite vegetarian chili of the moment.

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 15 mins

Servings (adjustable): 6

Calories: 293

Author: Martha | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika (I sometimes use smoked paprika)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup bulgur, preferably coarse
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 3 cans (15 ounces each) beans (kidney, black, pinto or any combination), rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 cups water
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

• Put a large soup pot on medium heat and add the oil.
• Add the onions, garlic, and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened. This should take about 10 minutes. 
• Stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, cayenne, bay leaves and bulgur. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add the tomatoes, beans, soy sauce, water, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often so the ingredients don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Before serving, taste and add more salt, pepper and/or cayenne if needed.

Recipe Notes

Vegetarian Chili Additions & Variations

This recipe can be adapted and modified in lots of ways to suit your preferences. Here are a few ideas:

Spicier: Increase cayenne pepper or add fresh chiles with the onion, garlic and bell pepper. You could also stir in a little chipotle chile in adobo.

Fresher/Zestier: Finishing off the chili with a little splash of vinegar and fresh cilantro will make it taste super fresh.

Thicker: When done blend a small portion of the chili to give it more body.

Bulk it Up: Add more vegetables. chopped zucchini, sweet potato, butternut squash, or corn would all be good.

 

Serving size: 1-1/2 cups

Weight Watchers PointsPlus: *6

Weight Watchers SmartPoints: *6

Weight Watchers Freestyle SmartPoints: *2

Nutrition Facts

Healthy Vegetarian Chili Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 -1/2 cups)

Calories 293 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Fat 5g8%

Carbohydrates 44g15%

Fiber 19g76%

Protein 15g30%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chili without meat, light chili recipe, vegan chili

Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!

Recipe source: Slightly adapted from Vegetarian Classics: 300 Essential and Easy Recipes for Every Meal (affiliate link) by Jeanne Lemlin.

*PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT Weight Watchers Zero Points fruits and vegetables using the WW Recipe Builder.

Here’s a video that shows you how easy it is to make spicy vegetarian chili at home:

The Domestic Goddess shows how to make chili three different ways (Beef & Bean, Vegetarian and Green Chile Chicken):

More Weight Watchers Chili Recipes:

• Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili (Cookin’Canuck)
• Slow Cooker Vegetarian Quinoa Chili (SnackGirl)
• Chili Cornbread Bake (EmilyBites)
• Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili (SkinnyTaste)
• Crock Pot Chunky Chicken Chili (SkinnyKitchen)
• Dan-Good Veggie Chili (HungryGirl)
• “Meaty” Vegetarian Chili (MealPlanningMommies)
• Slow Cooker Butternut Squash & Farro Chili (EatYourselfSkinny)

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