The Garden Grazer

Bulgur Vegetable Chili

By 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)

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

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. janet @ the taste space

    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

  6. Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies

    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

  7. Katherine @ Green Thickies

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

    Reply

  9. jhayes

    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

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

      Reply

  10. The Mistress of Spices

    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

      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

    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

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