VEGETARIAN BLACK BEAN CHILI – It Won’t Disappoint!

I made a HUGE pot of my favorite VEGETARIAN BLACK BEAN CHILI over the weekend to serve to a crowd. I made an enormous pot thinking I would have leftovers . . . not! This has always been my go to recipe for our annual Halloween Party for those who didn’t care for ribs, hot dogs, or other meats. I had several requests to share the recipe, so here it is!! I always love sharing a recipe and am thrilled when someone cooks something and likes it! Who are those folks that like to hide their recipes and won’t give them up?? That’s definitely not the way I grew up – where all we did was share and swap recipes.

Please, please give this one a try! Don’t let the ingredients scare you away – it’s really tasty!

VEGETARIAN BLACK BEAN CHILI

1 eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 T kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, or more, minced
2(14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes, undrained)
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 cup basil leaves, slivered
3 T chili powder
1 1/2 T cumin
1 T dried oegano
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1/2 tsp, or more, red pepper flakes
3 cans black beans, drained
1 1/2 c fresh corn kernels
1/2 c fresh dill chopped
14 cup lime juice

Sour cream, grated cheese, green onions or avocado for toppings

Toss eggplant with salt in a colander and let sit for 1 hour, then pat dry. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in Dutch oven; add onions, zucchini, peppers and garlic. Saute until tender. In a separate skillet, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Cook eggplant over medium heat until tender. With slotted spoon, put eggplant in Dutch oven then add tomatoes with juice, 1/2 cup parsley, basil and spices. Cook on low heat about 30 minutes, stirring. Add black beans, corn, dill and lime juice. cook 15 minutes and add remaining parsley.
Serve immediately or keep warm until ready.

It looks like a long list of ingredients but it is SO worth it. It is full of bright colors and full of flavor. Perfect this time of year!