This is a vegetarian riff on some of the same flavors that I used in my Damn Good Chili recipe. Only with less meat. The recipe also pulls in some inspiration from The Pioneer Woman’s Roasted Vegetable Minestrone. Between all the roasting of things and the fermentation (beer and soy), we get plenty of flavors to round it all out.
Roasted Vegetable Chili
- Plant and Fungus
- 1 large yellow onion
- 4 medium carrots
- 3 medium celery stalks
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 medium zucchini
- 2 medium yellow summer squash
- 2 large sweet bell peppers (red and yellow)
- 2 C. mushrooms
- 1 6-oz. can roasted mild green chilies
- 2 6-oz. cans tomato paste
- 1 28-oz. cans crushed tomatoes
- 5 cans of beans, your choice (pinto, small red, kidney, garbanzo, small white & navy)
- Liquid
- 1/2 C. olive oil, divided
- 2 12-oz. bottles beer (stout) (one for the chili, one for you)
- 1/4 C. dark soy sauce
- 4 C. water
- Seasonings
- 2 T. chili powder
- 1 T. cumin
- 2 T. cocoa powder
- 1 T. salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 t. black pepper
Set crock pot on high and add the beans. By the time the sauce is ready, it will be getting warmed up.
Set oven to broil with one rack high and one rack low. Wash and cut open the bell peppers. Cut them into slabs that will lay flat on a baking sheet, skin side up. Chop the mushrooms coarse, toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread mushrooms on another baking sheet. Place the peppers sheet directly under the broiling element and the mushrooms lower. Broil until the pepper skins are blackened, 3-5 minutes. The mushrooms will not take much longer, if the oven was already hot; they are done when they are tough and chewy, but not burnt.
While the peppers and mushrooms are roasting, coarsely chop the zucchini and summer squash into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on two baking sheets. Roast at 425°F for 10-15 minutes, stirring once; they are done when they are browning, not quite blackened; some will be toasty crunchy.
(I used dual ovens, which made the roasting go so much faster, one on broil for the peppers and mushrooms, and one at 425°F on convection for the summer squash/zucchini)
Heat a deep saute pan over medium heat and add the remaining 3-4 T. olive oil. Remove skin from garlic. Peel and chop carrots. Wash and chop celery. Peel and chop onion. Add the garlic, carrots, celery, and onion to a food processor and mince fine. Add the vegetable puree to the olive oil and saute until carrots start to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes. Remove mixture from pan and add to the pile of roasted vegetables from the oven.
Smear the pan with the two cans of tomato paste and cook until it starts to brown and stick to the pan. Add the bottle of beer to deglaze. Add the crushed tomatoes, green chili peppers, soy sauce, water, and seasonings. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the roasted vegetables and the sauce to the beans in the crock pot. Continue to cook in the crock pot for another two hours. Finish seasoning to your taste, adding more salt, hot sauce, etc.