4 vegetarian chili recipes for getting cozy this weekend

Holiday shopping and meal planning are officially underway. I like to have a big pot of something delicious and easy to heat up and eat after battling the crowds. Chili, especially vegetarian chili, is easy to make and will last for several meals. And, bonus, the longer it stays after it’s made, the better it tastes. These recipes are essentially vegan—the dairy toppings can be left out (or completely)—and cook in about half the time of a meat-based chili. (And if you’re interested in some fun chili facts and stories, Noelle Carter’s ode to chilli will also feed that hunger.)

Three Bean and Hominy Chili is made with kidney, pinto, and black beans and hominy (dried corn kernels treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization) for flavor and texture. They’re cooked with poblano, jalapeño, and New Mexico peppers along with hot spices like cumin, cilantro, achiote, and smoked paprika to create a rich, vibrant chili bowl.

Loaded with squash, cauliflower, corn, and peas, this vegetarian chili is bursting with flavor.

Chipotle peppers (aka smoky jalapeños) give Chipotle Chili with Black Beans and Corn a smoky, spicy heat. This recipe calls for pureeing them in the adobo sauce that comes with them in the box, giving the heat an extra dimension.

This chili, from chef and cookbook author Margaret S. Fox, helped put Mendocino’s Cafe Beaujolais on the map. The simple preparation belies the complex flavor that results.