Vegan Lentil & Bean Chili can be stashed in your freezer and cooked in the crockpot. A gluten free recipe packed with beans, veggies, and big flavor.
Another day, another Freezer Meal February recipe! Are your freezers getting stuffed to the brim with delicious easy meals? Please tell me you too have become head over heals obsessed with how easy it is to get dinner on the table! Or am I just the crazy freezer meal lady?
Case in point: I have already devoured each of the NINE freezer meals that I prepped as part of this series. You know, the ones that were supposed to make our lives easier when the baby comes next month? Well, I can tell you that we currently have zero freezer meals and zero babies over here.
These freezer meals are just THAT GOOD!
And this Vegan Lentil & Bean Chili is no exception! Let's take a moment to review it's merits:
- It is really hearty and filling, but in a makes you feel good, not heavy, sorta way.
- Dump the chili in the Crockpot and let it do all the work for you.
- Relies on chili powder and cacao (or cocoa) powder for a deep cooked-all-day flavor, without cooked-all-day effort.
Let's talk toppings:
If you don't top your chili with so many toppings you can hardly see the chili burred underneath, is it really chili?
You can probably tell my answer by the pictures, where I was actually being reserved when it came to toppings. After those photos were snapped I covered that bowl with more toppings. Another couple handfuls of tortilla chips, a second BIG dollop of sour cream, a garden's worth of cilantro. But then just a couple more jalapeño slices because I am not the most adventurous when it comes to heat.
Other great topping ideas might be hot sauce for my spice lovers, a sprinkling of vegan cheese that will melt right into the chili with it's perfect oozy strands, and fresh veggies like avocado and tomato. Heck, I have even had chili topped with cornbread and a waterfall of honey. You can't go wrong here!
Freezer Meal: Vegan Lentil & Bean Chili
- Cook Time: 4-8 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
Description
Hearty and healthy Vegan Lentil & Bean Chili can be stashed in your freezer and come to diner's rescue in the crockpot. This easy recipe is packed with pinto beans, lentils, veggies, and big flavor. Naturally gluten free!
Ingredients
For freezing:
- 1 (15) oz. can pinto beans, drained
- 1 (15) oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 bell pepper (any color you'd like), diced
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon cacao powder
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
For cooking:
- 3 cups water
Instructions
Freeze the chili:
- Add all the ingredients, except the water) into a zip top bag and stash in the freezer.
Make the chili:
- Add the contents of the freezer bag to a large slow cooker. Add in the water and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Serve with all the toppings your heart desires!
This chili looks so good Laurel! I'm so in need of some freezer meals for those busy days where I don't have time to cook!
This was so simple and good. I love how I could dump everything in the pot and be done - no need to sauté anything beforehand.
I used kidney beans instead of pinto and passata instead of tomato sauce. I thought the flavour would be too deep at first but it turned out ok! I'd use a little less chili powder next time, 1-1.5 tbs, but I think that's because the chili powder I use is medium. The ingredients are common staples in our house so I anticipate making this again :) Thank you!
Honey is not vegan
Hello! The honey can be substituted for any other liquid sweetener.
Can you use canned lentils instead of dried?
Hi Nicole, Great question! The lentils need to be dry, otherwise they will completely break down and turn to mush as the chili cooks.
Can you use red lentils instead of brown?
Hi Raley, You need brown, black, or french green lentils for this recipe. Red lentils are too soft and would cook down to mush.
Fabulous! I made this for dinner tonight & cooked it on the stovetop for 30 minutes. I also used my immersion blender to blend half of the chili (to add some texture). So delicious! Thank you for a wonderful + easy vegan dinner!
Do I thaw this before putting in the crockpot? Also can you make this in the instant pot?
Hi Dee, I add it to the crockpot frozen. I have not tested it in the instant pot. Happy cooking!