Make this meat free chili without fear– meateaters will love it too!

Slow cooker quinoa veggie chili is an easy, delicious meal perfect for a weeknight dinner or meal prep. It’s that time of year when fresh veggies are at a minimum and stored vegetables are dwindling. This chili recipe uses veggies that store well plus frozen red bell peppers and pantry items. Slow cookers are easy to come by for a good price. I use my mom’s Crockpot from the 90’s and I love it.

What’s in the chili?

This sounds like a loaded question, but it’s all good, I promise.

Garlic & Onions. Can’t make a good chili without this duo. I used a yellow onion, sweet or white would work just as well.

Butternut Squash. Roasting a butternut squash, prior to adding it to the slowcooker, adds a smokey, full bodied flavor to the chili. It couldn’t be simpler to prepare.

1. Cut the rounded ends off so the squash can stand upright.
2. Cut down the middle.
3. Scrape out the seeds. Save, to either roast or plant or discard.
4. Place skin side UP in a pan. No oil necessary.
5. Roast for 45 minutes or so. Butternut squash should be carmalized.

Quinoa. Quinoa bulks this chili up, adding plant based protein and texture. I would not substitute it with anything else. Make sure to add uncooked quinoa to the pot. It will soak up much of the liquid while cooking.

Pickled Jalapeños. If you are making this when you are overrun with peppers in the garden, by all means, add a fresh pepper. I do love the added zing and spice pickled jalapeños give the dish. It’s also very satisfying to open a jar of jalapeños that I harvested months ago. Green chilies would make for a good substitute.

Red Bell Pepper. One fresh red pepper works for this or one chopped frozen. If the frozen peppers come in slices, I would whack then up into finer peices so the chili is more uniform.

Carrots. Carrots can be stored for months in a rootcellar or in a tub of moist sand. Frozen would also work here. I peeled the skins to create a smoother texture in the chili.

Spice Blend. Chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and coriander are all spices I reccomend to have on hand at all times. They are key players for flavor in this chili (and in most chilis!) and I wouldn’t leave any of them out! Paprika can be substituted for smoked paprika.

Canned Tomatoes. Diced, crushed and fire roasted would all work well here.

Beans. A major key to a satisfying meatless chili is beans. Kidney and black bean work well but pinto would be a welcomed substitute. Canned beans were used in this recipe. Dry beans would require more liquid since they absorb and expand.

Broth. This is more important than you think. The quinoa soaks up most of the broth, giving it flavor. I recommend homemade chicken broth or quality, pasture raised broth from the store.