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Vegetarian Skillet Chili
![Vegetarian Skillet Chili](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2018/08/31/dining/clark-skillet-chili-horizontal-sub/clark-skillet-chili-horizontal-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1lime
- 1red onion or shallot, thinly sliced
- Large pinch of kosher salt
- Small pinch of granulated sugar
- Olive or grapeseed oil
- 1large onion, chopped
- 3garlic cloves, or to taste, minced
- 1teaspoon chile powder, plus more to taste
- 1teaspoon dried oregano, plus more to taste
- 2(15-ounce) cans beans, drained
- 1(15-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their juices
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cilantro, diced avocado and sour cream, for garnish (optional)
For the Pickled Onions
For the Chili
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the pickled onions: Squeeze lime juice into a bowl, and add onion, salt and sugar. Let rest while you make the chili.
- Step 2
Prepare the chili: Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the oil. When hot, add onion and sauté until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, chile powder and oregano and sauté until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add beans and tomatoes and a few large pinches of salt and let simmer until the tomatoes break down, about 20 minutes.
- Step 3
Taste and add more salt, chile powder and/or oregano to taste. Serve with the pickled onions and any of the garnishes you like.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Never add chili powder and sauté, unless you want to burn the chili and have a coughing fit. Instead, add it after the tomatoes soften and just before you add the beans
Instead of using canned beans, which are too mushy for me, I bring a bag of dried beans to a boil and let them go for 5-10 minutes, turn off and let them sit in the water, covered for an hour. I take what I need and bag the rest and freeze. I do this with every type of bean I use regularly so I have beans with a little tooth to them. This could be done on a weekend day so it wouldn't cut in to after work meal cooking time.
Make it 28 oz of tomatoes, 2 tb Chile powder and 1 tb each of oregano and cumin. Intense and delicious.
In my veg chili I use grated carrots along with the onions which adds a texture not unlike what you get when you make chili using hamburger.
I like to puree a can of chipotles in adobo, then freeze them in a plastic ice cube tray and transfer them to a container for the freezer. Then I always have about a tablespoon of the stuff whenever I need it. I do the same with a can of tomato paste. Saves so much waste.
WOW. 10/10, blew away my mom's recipe. Does not need the pickled shallots to be great (they weren't my fav anyway). These are the exact ingredients I used in the order I added them to the skillet: 1 small sweet yellow onion (sauteed until softened) 3 tsp minced garlic (sauteed for 30 secs) 1 can of black beans (drained, rinsed) 1 can of kidney beans (drained, rinsed) 1 can of petite diced tomatoes 1 Tbsp chili powder 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin 3 pinches of salt 1 pinch of pepper
Am I missing something? There is no suggested amount for the chili powder or oregano.
Personally, I liked this dish. Unfortunately, the co-diner gave it a thumbs down and rummaged through the freezer for something else. Don't know what he finally decided on because I was too annoyed to bother to find out.
I loved the pickled onions - a winner
Great chili with following modifications:
One red pepper, one green pepper with onions
add two cloves of minced garlic
3/4 TBS cumin and chili powder
1tsp oregano and basil
2 cans diced tomatoes, one of them fire roasted
juice of 1/4 lime
You know what would be really nice in this? Some pureed chipotles in adobo. I keep a container in the freezer and scoop out a couple of tablespoons to add to chili.
When I read this from you (six months late), Karen, and, like so many others, found it "helpful," I wrote to Melissa Clark. Her reply, which I provide below, was prompt and what you might have imagined if you were desperate or just feeling creative or in a guessing mood:
"The idea is that you add it to taste. start with a teaspoon of chili powder and say, 1/2 teaspoon oregano (or less if you don't love it) and go from there."
Have fun!
I used one can kidney beans, one can of black beans, 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes, 2 Tbsp chili powder (1 Tbsp Hatch medium and a scant 1 Tbsp smoked ancho powder), 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp ground cumin. I also added 1 chopped red bell pepper and 1 chopped yellow pepper to the onion/garlic mixture. I sautéed the onion, garlic and peppers until soft, then added spices, cooked for a minute or two and then added tomatoes. Simmered for 20 minutes, added beans and simmered for 10 more minutes.
I made this last night and it was wonderfully satisfying. The first time I make a recipe, I always follow the directions explicitly and then modify it when I make it again, if necessary. With this recipe, I don't think I would change a thing. I used Canellini beans and all of the garnishes and it was great. If you're desperate for meat, I think a pound of ground turkey or beef would work and I would brown it along with the onion and adjust the seasonings accordingly.
Perhaps it would be good to remember that taste is a matter of...well, taste. What tastes better to you won't necessarily taste better to someone else. And what's more, what tastes good to an individual is often as much a matter of what they are accustomed to as anything else.
This is a great almost no-recipe recipe. I used a combo of red kidney beans and black beans, a minced chipotle, whole 28ozer of roasted/diced tomatoes, and splash of IPA to add some liquid. The pickled onions were a welcome addition. My toddlers loved it.
How many onions for the Pickled Onions? Sliced? Chopped? Recipe doesn't specify.
I thought this was decent but missing something. I added a little coriander and cumin and that helped, but it still was a little off the mark. Then I added a little bit of sweet curry and that was it!
This is excellent and fairly quick. I used the beans I had on hand: 1 can kidney and 1 can great northern. I added 1/2 chopped orange pepper, a few Tbs. tomato paste, a splash or two of red wine vinegar. Adjusted seasonings to taste.
I added a can of chopped green chilies and a second can of tomatoes, then served with Greek yogurt, avocado, tortilla chips, and sautéed shrimp. A big hit, my partner immediately requested it become a regular dinner :)
Sub fire-roasted tomatoes Rotelfor diced tomatoes, and add 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
As written, including the red bell (plus I had about a cup of frozen corn left over from another M.C. recipe; I chucked that in.) Also bumped up the spices a bit, and added a scant tsp of cumin (per you guys) and a pinch of pepper flakes. Do not skip the onion/lime/salt/sugar trick. It's lovely. Lime sour cream and avocado on top. It's an easy supper; a nutritious supper; very delicious and a nice one to have up your sleeve for when vegetarians are at the table.
Little adobo
Since I saw this recipe, I have been making it once a week. Such a great fast dish! My latest variant is adding a bunch of kale with the onions in the pan first and cooking until they start to become more tender, then proceed as described. The result is a little less chili-ish, but still a great vegan dish to enjoy ona regular basis!
It's a perfect recipe. Minimum effort, zero planning, maximum results.
2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Very quick to make but the seasoning needed an upgrade. More chili powder and oregano, some cumin, garlic powder, chopped jalapeño & cilantro, and a good sprinkle of chipotle chili flakes. Used about 22 oz of chopped canned San Marzano tomatoes and thinned with broth. I didn’t have a lime so missed out on the pickled onion. Will make again.
I find a splash of vinegar improves this.
Made as written for two of us and had plenty left over for huevos rancheros breakfast. It’s very filling. I used one can black beans and one can northern. Pickled red onion is a household favorite and also good on eggs.
Chili powders vary wildly in heat and flavor, hard to know how much to use without tasting as you go. I also like adding some frozen corn towards the end. Adds sweetness.
I'm not a raw onion fan, but these pickled onions with the chili were amazing. i used two limes as one lime didn't offer enough liquid. The onions added a level of complexity that made the dish. i used about 4x the spices, and added smoked paprika. Also used 2 15 oz cans of fire roasted tomatoes and served with avocado and sour cream. Will make this again, great tasting, easy and a pantry staple.
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