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Bulgur Vegetable Chili

January 31, 2013 By Kaitlin McGinn 23 Comments

Warm and satisfying Vegan Bulgur Chili! Packed with hearty, cozy ingredients to help keep you warm during the winter months.

Vegan bulgur chili with vegetables in a small bowl

Have you ever cooked with bulgur? I bought it on a whim recently, and was excited and curious to try it out. Upon doing a little research, I found that bulgur is a cereal food made from many different wheat species, and can be used to substitute rice or couscous.

Photo of bulgur in a small bowl

I went searching for recipe ideas and found a vegan chili from Naturally Ella. I used that as a guideline and couldn’t resist tossing in a few more veggies. It’s definitely worth noting that I bought quick-cooking bulgur from Trader Joe’s, cutting the cooking time way down (about 10-15 minutes instead of 45).

So if you have regular bulgur, you’ll need to let it simmer longer. I find it to be a wonderful substitute for the ground meat you’d find in traditional chili. It really thickens up the texture and makes it extra cozy and hearty. Hope you enjoy as well!

Bowl of vegetable bulgur chili with beans
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5 from 1 vote

Bulgur Vegetable Chili

Warm and satisfying Vegan Bulgur Vegetable Chili! Packed with hearty, cozy ingredients to keep you warm during the winter months.
AuthorKaitlin – The Garden Grazer
Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time45 mins
CategorySoup
CuisineVegan
Servings4 medium bowls

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric
  • 1 onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 zucchini
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 1/2 cups sweet corn (I use frozen)
  • 8 oz. cherry tomatoes
  • 15 oz. can kidney beans
  • 2/3 cup quick-cooking bulgur (or 1/2 cup for less thick)
  • 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Prepare vegetables: dice onion, bell pepper, carrot, and zucchini. Mince garlic and halve tomatoes.
  • In a stockpot over medium-high heat, sauté onion, bell pepper, carrot, and zucchini for 7-8 minutes. (I use 3 Tbsp. water/broth for no-oil sauté method, adding more as needed.)
  • Add garlic, corn, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper (optional). Sauté another 2 minutes.
  • Add 3 cups broth, tomato sauce, bulgur, and kidney beans (rinsed and drained).
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until bulgur is cooked. (Or about 45 minutes if using regular bulgur.)
  • It will become very thick as the bulgur absorbs the liquid, and even more after sitting a bit. Add more broth/water to thin it out if desired.

Notes

If not using quick-cooking bulgur, you’ll need to let it simmer for about 45 minutes instead of 10-15 minutes.
Adapted from Naturally Ella

Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)

Calories: 312 kcalCarbohydrates: 65 gProtein: 14 gFat: 3 gSaturated Fat: 1 gPotassium: 1311 mgFiber: 16 gSugar: 16 gVitamin A: 4833 IUVitamin C: 61 mgCalcium: 101 mgIron: 5 mg
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Vegan bulgur chili with vegetables in a small bowl

Enjoying this Vegan Bulgur Chili? Feel free to also check out:

  • Teriyaki Vegetable Stir Fry (Oil-Free!)
  • Black Bean Tacos
  • Vegetable Barley Soup

Come join The Garden Grazer on Instagram and then share a photo if you make or adapt this! (Also please leave a review & star rating below if you give it a try. Your feedback is greatly appreciated – thank you!)

Filed Under: Main Dish, Recipe, Soup, Vegan, WFPBNO Tagged With: autumn, bell pepper, chili, corn, cumin, kidney beans, plant protein, tomato, weeknight, winter, zucchini

Previous Post: « Touchdown Vegan Bean Dip
Next Post: Balsamic Green Bean Salad »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Justina F. Lee

    January 31, 2013 at 5:37 pm

    That looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      February 1, 2013 at 12:53 pm

      Thanks Justina!

      Reply
  2. LittleMonsterx14

    January 31, 2013 at 9:48 pm

    wow i love how hearty it looks! i bet its tastes amazing

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      February 1, 2013 at 12:52 pm

      Thank you! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Courtney J

    February 1, 2013 at 2:39 am

    Yum! Looks perfect for a cold day like today! 🙂

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      February 1, 2013 at 12:51 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  4. Katie

    February 3, 2013 at 6:43 pm

    Yum! I haven't seen quick-cooking bulgur before, but I'm definitely going to look for it at TJ's next time I go.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      February 4, 2013 at 3:09 pm

      Hi Katie! Hope you find some at your TJ’s – such a great store! 🙂

      Reply
  5. janet @ the taste space

    February 5, 2013 at 1:32 pm

    I love bulgur! I actually prefer the coarse kind but still have some of the fine grain stuff I need to use up. It is a neat way to get that ground meat texture in chili.

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      February 5, 2013 at 2:49 pm

      Hi Janet! Totally agree – wonderful texture!

      Reply
  6. Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies

    February 5, 2013 at 10:56 pm

    Bulgur is one of my favorite grains–it's so hearty and I just feel good when I eat it. 🙂 It's definitely chili weather here, so I'm going to have to put this on my make soon list!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      February 6, 2013 at 12:56 pm

      Hope you enjoy it, Kiersten!

      Reply
  7. Katherine @ Green Thickies

    February 8, 2013 at 1:45 pm

    This chili looks gorgeous. There's nothing like a wholesome chili to warm you up when it's cold outside!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      February 8, 2013 at 3:30 pm

      Thanks Katherine!

      Reply
  8. Anonymous

    March 1, 2013 at 3:41 pm

    This was absolutely delicious, the kids & I all loved it – thank-you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      March 1, 2013 at 6:06 pm

      Wonderful! So great to hear you all enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know!

      Reply
  9. jhayes

    March 4, 2013 at 3:51 pm

    I made this last night & it was a huge hit. Thank you so much. I had never even noticed the cute little bags of quick cook bulgur, barley and farro at TJ's before you mentioned it! Great find. I will def. be making this chili again!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      March 4, 2013 at 8:19 pm

      So great! TJ’s has so many wonderful finds 🙂 Thanks for coming back to let me know you enjoyed the chili!

      Reply
    • jhayes

      March 5, 2013 at 12:55 am

      Found your site through Pinterest! What on earth were we doing with our lives before Pinterest?! Haha!

      Reply
  10. The Mistress of Spices

    May 7, 2013 at 11:16 am

    So happy to have discovered your blog today (also via Pinterest I believe). I presume this particular recipe would probably freeze well?

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      May 7, 2013 at 3:35 pm

      Hi! I’ve never tried freezing this recipe, but I bet it would work awesome as a freezer meal. Hope you enjoy if you give it at try 🙂

      Reply
  11. eM

    October 30, 2017 at 9:47 am

    The dish is amazing. I also add kale, more corn, and more chili once on my plate, because it wasn't even midly hot 🙂
    Thanks for that! Just eating my dinner!

    Reply
    • Kaitlin | The Garden Grazer

      November 12, 2017 at 1:26 am

      So great! Glad you were able to adapt it to suit your taste! Have a beautiful weekend! -Kaitlin

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Kaitlin! I share easy vegan recipes that are mostly whole food, plant-based, oil-free, & gluten-free. Learn More About Me →

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