Slow Cooker Smoky White Bean Chili

Spring and summer are here, and I’ve moved more towards making lighter dishes, but over Memorial Day I had a craving for chili that I just had to satisfy.

Enter: This slow cooker white bean chili.

I was inspired by this recipe from CookingLight, and powered by my slow cooker (which I absolutely love for cooking dried beans and lentils) – we ended up with a delicious smoky chili packed with veggies, protein and deep spices.

And can I just tell you – the leftovers the next day were even more rich and flavorful. The perfect balance of heat from the ancho chilis, the freshness of the veggies, and sweetness from the tomatoes rounded out this meal. There is no reason to feel guilty after eating a huge bowl (or two!) of this recipe.

I topped it with a dollop of low fat plain greek yogurt and some chopped cilantro – but you can use any toppings you like: avocado, shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips – the possibilities are endless!

This makes a TON of food so it’s perfect for serving a large group of people. It also freezes great so you can always make a big batch and save some for later. The husband loved this dish and said it even rivaled my “Best Vegetarian Chili” recipe!

The Ingredients

Adapted from CookingLight

• 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, diced
• 3 bell peppers, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro stems
• 1.5 tbsp dried oregano
• 7 garlic cloves
• 3 dried ancho chile peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1.75 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 4.5 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried white beans
• 1 (26.46-ounce) container unsalted tomato puree
• 3 zucchini, chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

The Directions

Step 1: Combine 1 cup diced onion, 1 cup diced bell pepper, cilantro, oregano, garlic, and ancho chile peppers in a food processor; process until almost smooth.

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Step 2: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion mixture to pan; cook 8 minutes or until liquid nearly evaporates, stirring frequently. Add cumin and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaf); cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

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Step 3: Transfer mixture to a 6-quart electric slow cooker. Stir in remaining onion, 1 cup bell pepper, broth, beans, and tomato puree; cover and cook on LOW 7.5 hours.

Step 4: Stir in remaining bell pepper, zucchini, and diced tomatoes; cook on LOW 30 minutes – 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.

Step 5: Top chili with a dollop of low fat greek yogurt, cilantro, crushed corn chips, diced avocado – or anything you like!

This recipe does take all day to make (but most of that time is inactive because your slow cooker is doing all the work!) And the result is so, so worth it. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

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Print

Slow Cooker Smoky White Bean Chili

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 9 hours

Yield: 12 servings

Serving Size: About 1.5 cups chili

Nutritional Info Per Serving: 214 Calories, 1.7g Fat (0.3g Saturated), 441.7mg Sodium, 40.4g Carbs, 8.9g Fiber, 5g Sugar, 11.7g Protein

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 red onions, diced
• 3 bell peppers, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro stems
• 1.5 tbsp dried oregano
• 7 garlic cloves
• 3 dried ancho chile peppers, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1.75 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 bay leaf
• 4.5 cups organic vegetable broth
• 1 (16-ounce) package dried white beans
• 1 (26.46-ounce) container unsalted tomato puree
• 3 zucchini, chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

Directions

1. Combine 1 cup diced onion, 1 cup diced bell pepper, cilantro, oregano, garlic, and ancho chile peppers in a food processor; process until almost smooth.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion mixture to pan; cook 8 minutes or until liquid nearly evaporates, stirring frequently. Add cumin and next 6 ingredients (through bay leaf); cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Transfer mixture to a 6-quart electric slow cooker. Stir in remaining onion, 1 cup bell pepper, broth, beans, and tomato puree; cover and cook on LOW 7.5 hours.
4. Stir in remaining bell pepper, zucchini, and diced tomatoes; cook on LOW 30 minutes - 1 hour or until vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf.
5. Top chili with a dollop of low fat greek yogurt, cilantro, crushed corn chips, diced avocado - or anything you like!

Notes

Adapted from CookingLight

3.0

http://pickyeaterblog.com/slow-cooker-smoky-white-bean-chili/

Recipe by: The Picky Eater, pickyeaterblog.com

Cannellini Bean Gratin

At one of my favorite restaurants in SF, Nopa, they serve the most delicious baked white beans, topped with feta, herbs and breadcrumbs. It comes warm and sizzling in a skillet: crispy from the breadcrumbs, creamy from the beans, and with a little bit of bite from the feta.

Since we’re far far away from Nopa now, I was determined to try to recreate their “Wood Baked Giant White Beans” at home.

And when I came across this recipe from Vegetarian Times, I knew I had found the inspiration I was looking for! You can make it with dried beans but I chose to do it with canned to save on time – it still tasted delicious.

You can use any kind of cheese you like for this, I chose Parmesan because I absolutely love the way it tastes when it’s baked in the oven. This recipe makes 12 enormous servings, and it also freezes really well so you can always make a big batch and freeze half of it for another day.

The husband loved this recipe and I thought it completely took me back to eating those giant white beans at Nopa.

The Ingredients

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

• 3 (15oz) cans cannellini beans
• 1.5 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 large red onion, diced (2 cups)
• ½ large or 1 medium fennel bulb, bulb quartered and diced (2 cups)
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 1.25 cups coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup fresh whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1.5-2 cups broth
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

The Directions

Step 1: Chop all of your veggies. Saute the onion, garlic, carrots, fennel, thyme and 1 tbsp parsley in a large pan with 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil.

Step 2: Add the beans, thyme, 1/2 cup cheese, 1.5-2 cups broth (if needed), crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.

Step 3: Let the mixture cook for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, remaining chopped parsley, and remaining cheese in small bowl. Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp olive oil into crumb mixture, and combine to moisten breadcrumbs.

Step 4: Spray an oven safe casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray. Pour mixture into the dish.

Step 5: Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole and bake in a 400 degree oven, uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the breadcrumbs have browned.

When it’s done, it will look like this:

How good does that look? And the best part is: you can enjoy a huge serving of this for only about 200 calories. It will keep you full and satisfied forever – and it will feel totally decadent but it is so good for you! (shhh don’t tell anyone ).

I hope you like this dish as much as we did!

Print

Cannellini Bean Gratin

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 12 servings

Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories per serving: 204.5

Fat per serving: 4.7g

Nutritional Info Per Serving: 204.5 Calories, 4.7g Fat (2.2g Saturated), 321mg Sodium, 28.6g Carbs, 6.1g Fiber, 1g Sugar, 12.8g Protein

Ingredients

• 3 (15oz) cans cannellini beans
• 1.5 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 large red onion, diced (2 cups)
• ½ large or 1 medium fennel bulb, bulb quartered and diced (2 cups)
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups diced carrots
• 1.25 cups coarsely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup fresh whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1.5-2 cups broth
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Directions

1. Chop all of your veggies. Saute the onion, garlic, carrots, fennel, thyme and 1 tbsp parsley in a large pan with 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil.
2. Add the beans, thyme, 1/2 cup cheese, 1.5-2 cups broth (if needed), crushed red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Let the mixture cook for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. Meanwhile, combine breadcrumbs, remaining chopped parsley, and remaining cheese in small bowl. Drizzle remaining 1 tbsp olive oil into crumb mixture, and combine to moisten breadcrumbs.
4. Spray an oven safe casserole dish with olive oil cooking spray. Pour mixture into the dish.
5. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole and bake in a 400 degree oven, uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the breadcrumbs have browned.

Notes

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

3.0

http://pickyeaterblog.com/cannellini-bean-gratin/

Recipe by: The Picky Eater, pickyeaterblog.com