Fall is upon us, which means it's time to a) pretend to like football, b) bust out the pumpkin spice, and c) make some dang chili. I love making chili because there are so many different variations of the classic recipe. You can feed a hefty amount of people with just one pot of chili, or have your meals prepped for the week.

I’ve made a lot of chilis in my time (not ashamed), and have found the key ingredients for a foolproof, crowd pleasing chili.

To my meat lovers : you can easily add ground turkey or beef to this chili. Just add a few more cups of broth (remember the tomatoes will liquify too).

To my vegans : omit the sour cream topping and this chili is your jam.

**Note : the recipe name doesn’t lie, this chili is spicy! I personally like my chili with a kick to it, and I think with a bit of sour cream and/or avocado, the spice level sets. BUT, if you like a more mild chili, omit the jalapeños.

I made this chili in a dutch oven (simply because I wanted to eat it within a few hours..), but you could also easily do this in a crockpot. If you go for the crockpot method, just place all the ingredients into a crockpot, salt and pepper generously, stir, and cook on low for 6-8 hours (high for 4-6). **if you’re adding meat make sure it’s cooked before adding to the crockpot! 

{Spicy Vegetarian Chili}

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 28 oz canned diced tomatoes

• 15 oz kidney beans

• 15 oz black beans

• 1 diced jalapeño

• 1 diced serrano pepper

• 1 diced red bell pepper

• 2 ears corn (you can used a can of corn instead here, and skip steps 1 & 4, I just like the taste of roasted corn more).

• 1/2 diced red onion

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp minced garlic

• 1 tbsp dried oregano

• 1 tbsp chili powder

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 cup vegetable broth

• 1/2 lime

• Sour cream, avocado, and cilantro (optional)

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wrap corn in tinfoil and bake for about 25 minutes.

2. In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and red onion. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are caramelized. Add the jalapeño, serrano, and red bell pepper. Followed by the oregano, chili powder, and paprika. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir and sauté for an additional 3-5 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, kidney, black beans, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stirring up any brown bits. **if you are adding meat to this chili, do so now (cooked), plus a few additional cups of broth.

4. Remove the corn from the oven, and cut the kernels off the cob. Add to the chili pot and stir.

5. Cover the pot, and simmer for 1-1.5 hours.

6. Top with sour cream, avocado and cilantro.

**I made this chili in a dutch oven (simply because I wanted to eat it within a few hours..), but you could also easily do this in a crockpot. If you go for the crockpot method, just place all the ingredients into a crockpot, salt and pepper generously, stir, and cook on low for 6-8 hours (high for 4-6).