Vegetarian Zucchini Chili Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili

Check out my “Saute, Dump and Go” vegetarian chili recipe with detailed step-wise pictures. We always try to compare and find Western names for Indian dishes, but I will do the other way around for this veg chili. This veg chili is the jazzed-up version of rajma. I don’t know if chili is a Mexican dish or an American one with Mexican roots. You can read about the origin and history of the chili on the national chili day website. Be it American dish or Mexican dish, it’s a delicious one perfect for this fall and winter weather.

Chili Sin Carne | Vegetarian Zucchini Chili

While chili is usually made with some meat, here is mine without meat (obviously) but with zucchini. Yes, after a break, I am back with more zucchini recipes. Here is my version of chili sin carne, meaning chili without meat. I learned this recipe from a calendar clipping but customized it as per our preference and with vegetables. This chili recipe evolved a lot in my kitchen in the past few years, and this version has become my go-to one. The recipe is very straightforward more like my chakalaka. I sauteed the onions and garlic first and then dumped all my vegetables and spices and then added the beans. I used store-bought canned beans, which makes it super easy, and you can even make it during weekdays. Also, Instant Pot comes in handy for this chili. This is my yet another “Saute, Dump and Go” recipe. You might notice unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe. For vegetarian chilies, adding cocoa powder adds more flavor and richness to the dish.

Zucchini Chili Serving Details

We love our zucchini chili topped with some cheese and avocado. But you can add some sour cream and also serve with rice. You can use as your burrito filling, and for nachos, and make some chili mac also. Each of these ideas deserve their own post so let me talk about them in the individual posts. Chili freezes well, so you can make in bulk and freeze for busy days. Now without any further ado, let’s see how to make this vegetarian chili in Instant Pot.

Prep-Work for Chili

Chop all the veggies(onion, bell peppers, and zucchini) and set aside.Drain the water from the black beans and rinse it and set it aside. Mix 3 oz of the tomato paste with 1 cup of water and set aside. Make sure there aren’t any lumps.

How to make vegetarian zucchini chili in Instant Pot

Set the Instant Pot in saute mode. Add the 3 tbsp of oil and after 30 to 45 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger(optional). Saute until the onion turns soft and tender or for about 4 to 5minutes.

When it starts to turn brown, turn off the Instant Pot. Turning it off after sauteing onion helps to prevent the burn signal in the newer Instant Pot models.

Now add the corn, zucchini, bell peppers, and all the spices – dark chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, ground coriander, cocoa powder, and brown sugar. Gently mix.

Add the tomato paste mixed with water and mix again.

Now add the drained beans and gently spread it—no need to mix. As the canned beans were already soft, I did not mix them frequently. Add the remaining ½ cup of water.

Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the vent is in the sealing position. Select manual/pressure cook and set the time to 3-minutes at high-pressure mode. When the cooking is complete, wait for 5 minutes, then quickly release the remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid after releasing the pressure and mix the chili.

As you can see, the zucchini is soft but not mushy.

Now add the chopped cilantro and mix well. Add cheese, if using, and serve warm.

Recipe Notes:

I used my homegrown zucchinis, and they weren’t tender by the time I plucked them. So I went ahead with 3 minutes of cooking time. If you are using soft and tender zucchini, 2 minutes of cooking time should be enough.Instead of 2 cans of black beans, you can use 1 can of black beans and 1 can of red kidney beans.Sugar is optional. Adjust the salt and spices as per your preference. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder. If you don’t have unsweetened cocoa, you can skip it.Instead of zucchini, you can use butternut squash or sweet potatoes. Or instead of zucchini, you can add one more can of beans. You can add black bean, kidney beans, and navy beans and make it like a three-bean chili. Skip the cheese for vegan chili.

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