Description
This hearty Lentil Chili is a cozy one-pot meal packed with red lentils, black beans, kidney beans, and warm smoky spices. Simmered in a rich tomato base with garlic, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, it delivers bold flavor and satisfying texture in every spoonful. Perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep, or a comforting plant-based dinner, this easy chili is filling, nutritious, and simple to customize with your favorite toppings like sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, or crunchy tortilla chips.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon chili powder (blend, not cayenne)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon kosher salt
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 cup uncooked red lentils
1 (15-oz) can tomato sauce
3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock or broth
2 (15-oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-oz) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Optional toppings
Sour cream
Shredded cheese
Green onions
Fresh cilantro
Tortilla chips
Lime wedges
Instructions
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.
Cook the vegetables. Add diced onion and red bell pepper and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant.
Bloom the spices. Stir in chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes until aromatic.
Add lentils and liquids. Pour in the red lentils, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock. Stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer.
Simmer the chili. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover, and cook for 15–25 minutes until the lentils are tender. Stir every few minutes and scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent sticking.
Add the beans. Stir in black beans and kidney beans and simmer for another 2–3 minutes until heated through.
Serve. Ladle the lentil chili into bowls and top with sour cream, shredded cheese, cilantro, green onions, or tortilla chips if desired.
Notes
Stir the chili every 5 minutes to prevent lentils from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
If the chili becomes too thick, add a splash of vegetable broth or water.
For extra smoky flavor, add a pinch of chipotle powder or a chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.
Leftovers taste even better the next day as the flavors continue to develop.
This chili stores well in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezes for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Soup & Chili
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 520 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 16 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg