Two of my favorite things about Autumn are (a) taking a leisurely drive in the country on a sunny day to see the amazing, blazing technicolor show provided by the trees and shrubs, and (b) making a big pot of chili! I like to make a LARGE quantity to last all week. But when it’s so beautiful outside, I don’t want to be stuck in the kitchen for too long. This chili can be thrown together sooooooo quickly with staples you can find in the pantry. How easy does this look? If you own a soup pot and a can opener, you can do this!
In case you haven’t tried harissa, it’s a condiment featuring either roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes with ground hot chili peppers, garlic and spices. It gives almost any dish a nice little kick of heat without being too over-powering. There are times I like to tailor my spice selection to achieve a specific taste in the chili – and then there are times when I want to make something fast, but know that the flavor is reliable and delicious. Thus the harissa. It takes the guess work out of whether the next pot of chili will be a success!
If you don’t have harissa paste on hand, you can substitute a combination of chili pepper flakes (1/4 teaspoon), paprika (2 teaspoons), chili powder (1 teaspoon) and garlic powder (1 teaspoon). So set aside 15 minutes from your busy day and crank out a pot of this chili. It will be the hit of your next tailgate party!
Ingredients (serves about 10)
1 14-ounce can lentils (rinsed and drained)
1 14-ounce can red kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 14-ounce can cannellini beans (rinsed and drained)
1 14-ounce can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 14-ounce cans no/low-salt diced tomates
2 cups frozen sweet corn
1 onion (medium dice)
4 – 5 garlic cloves (roughly chopped, or 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder)
3 tablespoons coconut oil (or cooking oil of choice)
3 – 5 tablespoons harissa paste (to taste and heat preference)
1 – 2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
1/2 cup water
Directions
- Saute the onions and garlic in oil over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Mix the harissa paste with the water and stir to get rid of lumps. Add to the onions.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot with condiments of choice.
Leave a Reply