Vegetable Chipotle Chili with Quinoa

This easy vegetable chili recipe served with quinoa is great for dinner, but also makes for a filling lunch. Adding cacao powder to this dish can even make it extra rich and creamy. This recipe lends itself to include any hearty veggies you may have in your fridge or pantry.

Our Hearty and Highly Nutritious Vegetable Chipotle Chili

The smoky, complex flavor of this simple vegetarian chili comes from basic pantry ingredients, vegetables, and spices! It is gluten free and easily made vegan.

This chili makes great leftovers that keep well in the refrigerator. Reheat your chili in a bowl and it’s good to go. You can also serve this chili as a protein-rich topping on nachos, baked potatoes, or oven-baked fries.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is an ancient South American grain that was largely ignored for centuries. Interestingly, it was only recently noticed by the rest of the world and hailed as a “superfood” due to its high nutritional content. It is now considered a specialty food by foodies and the health conscious.

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is the seed of the Chenopodium quinoa plant. Botanically speaking, it’s not a grain. However, it’s often called a “pseudo grain” because it’s similar in nutrients and eaten the same way as cereal grains.

Why is Quinoa a great side dish option?

Quinoa is also popular because it’s a gluten-free grain. This means people with celiac disease, wheat allergies or those who avoid gluten can consume it. Unlike gluten-free products made with refined ingredients, quinoa is a good source of nutrients that gluten-free diets often lack.

This grain is also popular because it’s very nutritious. It’s packed with vitamins and minerals and contains more protein, fiber, and healthy fats than other grains. Quinoa is also one of the few plant proteins that is a complete protein. This means it contains all of the essential amino acids you need.

It is a great source of fiber, iron, protein, and magnesium. With all of those nutrients in this little grain, it can provide a lot of health benefits for your diabetes, heart health, or for brain health. One cup of quinoa contains plenty of fiber (5 grams) and protein (8 grams) in exchange for just 39 grams of carbohydrates.

With all of those nutrients packed into this little grain, it can provide a lot of health benefits for your diabetes, heart health, or for brain health. It also helps regulate blood glucose levels!

Buying Tips

There are over 3,000 varieties of quinoa. However, the most widely grown types are red, black and white. There is also a tricolor variety, which is a mixture of all three. All three of these quinoa types cook and taste differently. While white quinoa has a fluffy post-cook texture, red and black quinoa are known to keep more of their shape and color after cooking. Red quinoa also has a heartier taste and chewier texture than the muted, bitter taste of white quinoa, while black quinoa tastes somewhat crunchy and slightly sweeter than either red or white.

Quinoa can also be rolled into flakes or ground into flour, which can then be used for cooking and baking. White quinoa is the most commonly consumed variety, and is what you’ll usually find at the store.

Buy pre-rinsed to make your life easier.

Raw quinoa grains are coated with saponin, a compound that acts as a natural pest repellent. Eating saponin won't hurt you—but it tastes really bitter, so it might make you want to toss your perfectly fluffy bowl of quinoa in the trash. Sure, you could just rinse the saponin off your quinoa by running it under cold water before cooking. But most strainers aren't actually fine enough to keep the grains from getting everywhere, so that can be a hassle. Do yourself a favor and buy quinoa that's already pre-rinsed. It's easy to find and usually isn't any more expensive.