Myra’s Vegetarian Chili

A spicy thick soup with bulgur wheat and vegetables.

When the weather turns cold, is there anything better than a bowl of chili? If I had any doubts about how popular this soup was, all I had to do was look at the original recipe. It makes 15 quarts—60 servings! I remember that there were certain people who had to be called whenever this soup was made, so they could buy quarts of it to take home. Don’t worry. I’ve adjusted the recipe to only make 6-8 servings.

Back when Myra was making things meatless, there weren’t a lot of choices. She used bulgur wheat because it was easy to find and good protein. If you need it to be gluten free, I’m sure you could use your favorite meat substitute. My favorite is Morning Star Farm Crumbles. If you like your chili spicy, throw in a jalapeno or a poblano, instead of just green bell peppers, and leave out the red pepper. I always put some shredded cheddar cheese on top. Don’t forget to make some cornbread to go with it. I made the cornbread recipe into muffins, so I could freeze the extras for later. Whatever you do, this will warm you up on a cold night!

Myra’s Vegetarian Chili

A spicy thick soup with bulgur wheat and vegetables.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Soup

Cuisine American, vegetarian

Servings 6 to 8 servings

Equipment

• 1 4 quart soup pot
• 1 knife and cutting board
• 1 2 cup measuring cup
• 1 Spoon or spatula to stir the chili

Ingredients

  

• 1 14.5 oz can of red beans or kidney beans
• 1 cup bulgur wheat
• 1 cup tomato juice or water
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped
• 2 or 3 TBLS. vegetable oil
• 1 cup celery, slice and then chop
• 1 cup carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 cup green bell peppers, roughly chopped you can use other peppers, if you want it hotter.
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 1 14.5 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 TBLS. chili powder
• 1 teas. basil
• 1 teas. cumin
• 1 teas. coriander
• 1 teas. black pepper
• 1 teas. dry mustard
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teas. red pepper, or to taste
• 1 TBLS. balsamic vinegar

Instructions

 

• Soak 1 cup of bulgur wheat with a cup of boiling tomato juice or water, let it sit, covered, while you:
• Sauté the onion and garlic in oil on medium heat until soft (10 to 12 minutes).

  Add and sauté well the celery, carrots and peppers.
• When all the vegetables are soft, add the soy sauce and all the spices. Add the cans of tomatoes. Add the beans with their liquid. Bring to a boil.
• Turn to simmer and add the bulgur wheat. You may need to add more tomato juice or water if it's too thick. Be sure to stir the pot, it will stick. Taste the bulgur wheat, when it is no longer crunchy, you are done.

Notes

I always want shredded cheddar cheese on my chili. Sour cream would be good too. And a side of corn bread.

Keyword bulgur wheat, red beans, spices, tomatoes