Recipe: Easy vegetarian white chili

For the beer in the recipe, Corona would seem to be the obvious choice, but I had Heineken in the fridge and it worked well. I used a cup of beer in the recipe (and drank the rest of the bottle while I cooked!) but these values are approximate. You can use more beer or stock if you prefer your chili to be soupier.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 sweet pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded, roasted and diced
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans
• 1 (11-ounce) can tomatillos, drained and chopped
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cup light beer 
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, shredded or chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a deep skillet (you can use a medium skillet if you’re going to cook the chili in a crock pot). Add the onion, sweet pepper and jalapeno and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion softens.

Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn.

(At this point, you can transfer the onions and peppers to the crock pot, add the remaining ingredients, and cook on low for 6-9 hours.)

Otherwise, add the beer and let it simmer and reduce for a few minutes. Then add the poblano, the tomatillos, beans, broth and spices (in other words, everything else). Let the chili simmer for 30 minutes or so as the flavors combine and the liquid is reduced.

Remove the bay leaf before serving. Serve with chopped cilantro, diced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, or any of your favorite chili toppings.

Serves 4-6.

This recipe was written by Jessica Webster and originally posted on AnnArbor.com on Feb. 15, 2012.