Need to make dinner but you know you’ll be crunched for time at the end of the day? A slow cooker is the perfect tool to help you prepare a meal ahead of time and this recipe for vegetarian chili is delicious, nutritious, and filling.

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 4-5 hours Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

Slow Cooker Chili

(3) 15 oz. cans of beans, drained (preferably black, kidney, and garbanzo, combined)

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large zucchini, chopped

2 tsp. chili powder

1 c. vegetable broth

2 tsp. paprika

1 c. quinoa or rice

(1) 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes, drained

(2) 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce

Directions

1.Chop your vegetables into even-sized chunks, not huge but not a small dice

2. Drain and rinse all of your beans and diced tomatoes

3. Add everything EXCEPT the quinoa(or rice) to the crockpot, slow cooker, or large stove-top pot.

4. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, stirring half-way through. Check the flavor and season accordingly.

*Other seasonings that would be good: black pepper, old bay, ground mustard, nutritional yeast

5. Within the last hour of cooking, add the quinoa/rice to the pot.

6. Stir and check the liquid levels, is it too thick? too thin? Adjust accordingly by adding water.

7. Reduce heat to warm or turn off all together, and serve!

Add On’s

Chopped shallots, cheese or nutritional yeast, hot sauce, sriracha, or cilantro make for great additions when serving.