Slow Cooker Vegetarian Quinoa Chili is a set it and forget it hearty chili with black beans, kidney beans, onions and garlic in a rich tomato sauce.

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

We’re in the thick of chili season and with all the meat options like Karina’s delicious Beef & Bean Jalapeño Chili, but this option is full of all those warm and spicy flavors with a hearty vegetarian version. You won’t even miss the beef in this recipe and I definitely recommend enjoying these with a delicious Easy Buttermilk Cornbread.

Hey everyone, it’s Sabrina again from Dinner, then Dessert (easy comfort food recipes) and Cooking with Points (Weight Watchers Recipes) back with another healthy slow cooker recipe for you all. Last month I shared a super quick and easy Mediterranean Chicken and this month we’re making a chili with no added fats, just lots of flavor.

If you’re a Weight Watchers member the only ingredient with any smart points is the quinoa making 1/6th of this recipe just 1 smart point! If you enjoy a 1/4 of the recipe it’s only 2 smart points. That leaves a lot of room in your day for a serving of that delicious cornbread! 😉

Some alternatives to quinoa:

• farro or barley would be a great alternative.
• For a no point alternative add butternut squash, carrot or acorn squash cubes.
• If you want all beans, adding additional beans like chili beans, light kidney beans or pinto beans are great.

Instead of sour cream you can also add fat free greek yogurt on top of the chili. To add more flavor zest and juice a lime, add some of the juice to the chili and 1 teaspoon to the yogurt with the zest and a bit of cumin.

If you want to meal prep for this Slow Cooker Vegetarian Quinoa Chili, add all the ingredients except the broth into a large ziploc bag and freeze until ready to use. If cooking from frozen, cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Stovetop Vegetarian Quinoa Chili:

1. Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the package.
2. In a large dutch oven add 1 tablespoon of canola oil.
3. Add in the onions and garlic and cook on medium high heat for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add in the spices and stir well, cooking for an additional 30 seconds to bloom the spices.
5. Add in the rest of the ingredients (including the cooked quinoa)and cook on low heat (at a simmer) for 30 minutes until cooked.

Hope to see you around Dinner, then Dessert or Cooking with Points! Enjoy the chili!

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Quinoa Chili

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Quinoa Chili is a set it and forget it hearty chili with black beans, kidney beans, onions and garlic in a rich tomato sauce.

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Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 2 hrs

Total: 2 hrs 10 mins

Serves: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup uncooked quinoa
• 15 ounce can black beans
• 15 ounce can kidney beans
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 14 ounces diced tomatoes canned
• 1/2 yellow onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• parsley optional as a garnish

Instructions

• Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker, stir and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.