This vegetarian Eggplant Chili is bursting with veggie goodness. The roasted eggplant give the chili a meaty texture. Kidney beans and sweet corn are a great contrast to the spicy broth. We love this chili served with chips and cilantro.
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The Best Vegetarian Chili with Roasted Eggplant
This is a hearty meal made with a ton of veggies. It’s perfect for cooler summer days or chilly fall nights.
I adore eggplant and am always looking for creative ways to incorporate it into our meals. Because of it’s meaty texture, it’s a great way to add nutrition and bulk to a vegetarian meal, like this eggplant chili.
Carrots, celery, and sweet corn give this chili recipe a ton of flavor and texture.
The best part of a hearty bowl of chili is the toppings, so go wild and top this with cheese, sour cream, chopped herbs, hot sauce, and chips! Slices of jalapeno and chopped red onion are also fantastic options.
What You’ll Need
- Eggplant
- Olive Oil
- Garlic
- Celery
- Yellow Onion
- Diced Tomatoes
- Tomato Paste
- Vegetable Broth (or sub chicken broth)
- Spices: chili powder, cumin, paprika, and oregano
- Sweet Corn (cut off the cob if possible! Frozen corn also works.)
- Carrots
- Kidney Beans
- Optional Toppings: Hot sauce, sour cream, cheese, cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, chips, etc.)
How to Make Vegetarian Eggplant Chili
Step 1: Add olive oil to a large pot, then saute the garlic and onions until soft and translucent.
Step 2: Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, and the spices. Let simmer for 20 minutes while preparing the other vegetables.
Step 3: Add celery, bell peppers, carrots, and corn, and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 425º F. Peel and dice the eggplant. Place eggplant on a cookie sheet, and coat lightly with olive oil and season with sea salt. Roast the eggplant for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Add the kidney beans and roasted eggplant to the chili. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
Step 6: Taste, and season with additional salt or cayenne pepper, if needed.
How to Store Leftover Eggplant Chili
Once the chili has cooled to room temperature, pack it in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Reheat chili in a small saucepan, adding a little water or vegetable broth to thin it out.
Other Healthy Chili Recipes
- Whole30 Chili (Beanless Beef Chili with Roasted Butternut Squash)
- Butternut Turkey Chili
- Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili
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Roasted Eggplant Chili {Vegan}
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion minced
- 1 (15) ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 (6) ounce can tomato paste
- 3 cups vegetable broth or sub chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons chili powder (I used a mild New Mexican chili powder)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- pinch cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups celery cut into cubes
- 3 bell peppers (I used 1 green, 1 red and 1 yellow)
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 1 ear corn sliced off the cob
- 2 (15) ounce cans kidney beans
- 1 large eggplant (1 tsp olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt)
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large pot, then saute the garlic and onions until soft and translucent.
- Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, vegetable broth, and the spices through coriander. Let simmer for 20 minutes while preparing the other vegetables.
- Add celery, bell peppers, carrots, and corn, and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425º F. Peel and dice the eggplant. Place eggplant on a cookie sheet, and coat lightly with olive oil and season with sea salt. Roast the eggplant for 10 minutes.
- Add the kidney beans and roasted eggplant to the chili. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Taste, and season with additional salt or cayenne pepper, if needed.
This was amazing! My whole family loved it. One question though…I was trying to log this into MyFitnessPal and the calories didn’t match up (by a lot), and I was wondering where the nutritional info that you published came from (I went with yours, the other website came up with a crazy number).
I use Nutritiondata.com — and I double check the calorie contents of each ingredient to make sure they seem accurate. A lot of times the sites will have wildly different numbers for packaged products, like canned items, so I make sure they match what the product I actually use says.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! I have been wanting to make another batch of that. I really love having chili made for lunches at work!
Thanks for sharing. This was a great base for my vegetarian chili and it turned out amazing! I added some cumin, sautéed most items, added collard greens, lentils, chipotle and jalepeno, fresh cilantro, lime, green onions, queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese) and sour cream (not vegan but amazing).
I love the idea of adding collard greens! And tons of cumin 🙂 Sounds like yours turned out great. Thanks for sharing!