Lentil Chili

Nutritious meets delicious in a protein-packed meal in which a little goes a long way.  Yep, that's a good description for this fantastic lentil chili recipe.  Shown here with cheese and a side of honey butter cornbread, this lentil chili makes a great dip for your favorite chip as well as an excellent replacement for ground beef in nachos.  And if you've never cooked anything before, this is an excellent recipe to start with.  It's so easy to make, anyone could do it!  Plus a small serving of this nutritious dish is super filling.  Who knew a chili recipe could have all these fantastic benefits and still taste great?

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Ingredients

Smaller slow cooker:
1 Tbl chili powder
1/2 Tbl cumin
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 red pepper, chopped
1/4 yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 large carrot, peeled+diced
1 15-oz can vegetable broth
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 15-oz can small red beans
1/2 bag (8 oz) lentils

Larger slow cooker:
2 Tbl chili powder
1 Tbl cumin
1 medium onion, diced
3 clove garlic, minced
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled + diced
2 15-oz cans vegetable broth
2 15-oz can tomato sauce
2 15-oz can diced tomatoes
2 15-oz can small red beans
1 bag (16 oz) lentils

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4-6 hours
Total Time: 4-6 1/4 hours
Makes 10 servings (in smaller slow cooker, 20 in larger)

[Note: You can easily freeze any leftovers for a quick meal at a later time.]

Directions

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and stir well.

Feel free to make ingredient exchanges.  I often use onion powder and garlic powder instead of fresh onion and garlic cloves, because they are more convenient without compromising on flavor.  Sometimes I substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth; the chicken adds a bit of flavor.  Green and/or orange pepper can be used instead of red and/or yellow pepper, and kidney beans can take the place of the small red beans.  Also, the lentils should be rinsed before adding them in; I often skip that step, and the result is the same great taste without the mess of wet lentils.

Cook on Low setting for 6 hours or High setting for 4 hours.


You can let this recipe set the entire cooking time without disturbing it.  When you get done, the finished chili looks like it developed a thick skin on the surface.  This is perfectly normal, and the looks here are deceiving.

Stir and serve warm.


Feel free to add whatever garnish or side you enjoy with your chili.  While the great taste may tempt one to eat a large serving size, the extra fiber in this chili could make that decision regrettable.  A standard size serving spoon scoop (about 1 cup) is plenty --- not too much fiber but enough for the stomach to feel full.

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