Spicy White Cheddar Chili

posted by Katie on October 29, 2014

14 comments »

So much carb dunking around these parts.

Although I’ve been on a soup kick for over a month, this is the first truly chilly week where soup feels necessary, and I’m digging it.

Check back with me in January, and I will very likely be digging it MUCH less. But, for now, lets proceed with all the bread and all the cheesy soup.

This soup is a take on white chicken chili, which my sister often orders when we go to lunch. Whenever she sits down with a big bowl of the creamy, hearty and comforting soup, I feel just a touch of jealousy.

Last week, after deciding I needed to make baguettes, I knew that a vegetarian version of the chili would be the perfect vehicle for bread dunking.

Like white chicken chili, this soup is made with cannelinni beans, which are creamy in texture, mild in flavor, and work well with a variety of ingredients. Most of the beans go straight into the soup pot, but 1/3 of them are blended up with broth to add a little creaminess to the base. In addition to the beans, I added a red and green bell pepper for color and a little sweetness, a jalapeño for heat, and fire-roasted green chilies for a touch more spice and smoky flavor. After the soup simmers for 20 minutes, I quickly whisked 6 ounces of shredded white cheddar into the hot soup, which adds some sharp saltiness and extra creaminess.

It all comes together into a spicy, smoky, creamy, and cheesy warm-your-soul bowl of soup.

It’s dreamy.

The recipe makes a large amount of soup (11 cups!), so you can either eat it for days and days, or freeze for later. Ryan and I have actually been moving through it rather quickly, especially because he ate 4 cups for dinner last night…with baguettes of course.

If you’re not going to make baguettes, or even if you are, you can crush some tortilla chips on top. I do that with all the chili I consume, which might be weird, but I HIGHLY recommend it.

Soup season 4 LIFE.

Print Recipe

Spicy White Cheddar Chili

Hearty, spicy vegetarian chili made with white beans, peppers, and white cheddar!

Yield: 11 cups

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1/2-1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies
• 4 cups vegetable broth, divided
• 3 cans cannelinni beans, divided
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 ounces white cheddar, shredded (about 1 1/2 cup)
• Cilantro, additional cheddar, baguettes for serving

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened.
2. Add the bell peppers, jalapeño, and green chilies to the pot, and cook until the peppers are softened - about 7 minutes.
3. Combine 1 1/2 cups of the cannelinni beans with 1 1/2 cups of broth in a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Pour the remaining broth and beans into the pot, along with the cumin, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Stir in the creamy blended bean and broth mixture. Taste the soup and adjust salt level to your liking (I used a total of 1 teaspoon sea salt, but I love me some salt).
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. After 20 minutes remove the soup from the burner, and whisk in the cheese 1/2 cup at a time. It is important that the soup is very hot at this point, because you want the cheese to melt in. Whisk vigorously after each additional handful of cheese to make sure it completely melts before adding the next round of cheese.
7. Top with cilantro and additional cheddar, and serve with baguettes.

posted in Favorites, Gluten Free, Soup

14 comments »

   

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14 Responses to “Spicy White Cheddar Chili”

1. 

   taylor @ greens & chocolate — October 29, 2014 @ 8:21 am (#)

   YES to all of this! Soup season, spicy chili, CHEESY chili, and chips on chili!! Love it all!

   • 

     Katie — October 29, 2014 @ 11:43 am (#)

     Thanks Taylor! :)

2. 

   Cheryl — October 29, 2014 @ 9:42 am (#)

   Um, yes, yes, a thousand times yes. White cheddar = best thing ever. Spicy anything = also best thing ever. Vegetarian? Well, you get where I’m going with this. This is going on next week’s meal plan!

   • 

     Katie — October 29, 2014 @ 11:43 am (#)

     Awesome! Hope you love it!

3. 

   Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar — October 29, 2014 @ 10:52 am (#)

   This is the most unique looking chili I’ve ever seen! What an awesome recipe friend!

   • 

     Katie — October 29, 2014 @ 11:44 am (#)

     Thanks, Katrina! Who needs traditional chili, right?

4. 

   Alyssa Dunkel — November 2, 2014 @ 11:29 am (#)

   Thank you so much! Made this last night for a group of friends and it was a big hit. Delicious!

   • 

     Katie — November 2, 2014 @ 5:54 pm (#)

     Awesome! I just finished the last of this a couple days ago, and think I need a batch this week :) Thanks for your comment!

5. 

   Shannon — December 27, 2015 @ 8:43 pm (#)

   This is such a great recipe! Like you, since becoming a vegetarian I’ve been envious of my omnivore friends eating white chili and have been searching for a vegetarian substitute for years! This recipe has definitely suited my needs! I’m currently in the middle of making for the third time ever and can’t wait to dig in! 

   • 

     Katie — December 27, 2015 @ 10:50 pm (#)

     Hooray! Thank you so much for the comment!

6. 

   ke4 — January 26, 2016 @ 7:53 am (#)

   Hi 
   I am curious is that milk or cream being poured into the soup in the photo?

   • 

     Katie — January 26, 2016 @ 8:34 am (#)

     It is a blended up mixture of the white beans and broth! Makes the chili creamy without any cream :)

7. 

   Nicole — April 18, 2016 @ 9:44 pm (#)

   I made this tonight for my family and it was delicious! Without knowing anything about the recipe I used, my husband said this tasted like a vegetarian white chicken chili. I laughed and said that was exactly what this was intended to be. Nice job! This was a total success.

   • 

     Katie — April 19, 2016 @ 8:07 am (#)

     Awesome! So happy to hear that!