White Bean Chili

White Bean Chili

Between daylight savings and colder temperatures arriving, it’s SOUP season at our house.

We have had soup for dinner every night this week I think. Tomato and Potato Cheddar Soup. French Peasant Soup, Winter Veggie Curry.

Last night I made a White Bean Chili that I have made often in the last year, so I’m sharing that recipe below.

It calls for canned beans but I used dried that I cooked overnight before using here. I might be still trying to use up all the dried beans I bought back in the mad quarantine shopping days. Yikes.

I make this without meat but you can also add cut up rotisserie chicken to this soup if you don’t want it to be vegetarian.

Also you can ditch the chipotle peppers if you want it less spicy.

Happy Soup Season, friends!

PS. I have updated my recipe index (long overdue), so you can find recipes again on this blog.

White Bean Chili

3 small yellow onions, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 quart vegetable broth

1 (7 oz) can diced green chilies

1/2 of a can of a 7 oz) can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1 (8 oz) pkg Neufchatel cheese (aka light cream cheese), cut into small cubes

1 1/4 cup frozen or fresh corn

2 (15 oz) cans cannellini beans

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving

Options for add-ins when serving:
Tortilla chips or strips, Monterrey Jack cheese, sliced avocado

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a 6 quart enameled dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute 4 minutes minutes. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer.

Add vegetable broth, green chilies, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring mixture just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes.

Drain and rinse beans in a fine mesh strainer or colander then measure out 1 cup. Set whole beans aside, transfer 1 cup beans to a food processor along with 1/4 cup broth from soup and the 1/2 can of adobe chili peppers, puree until smooth.

Add Neufchatel cheese to soup along with corn, whole beans and pureed beans and stir well. Simmer 5 – 10 minutes longer.

Stir in fresh lime juice and cilantro. Serve with Monterrey Jack cheese, more cilantro, avocado slices and tortilla chips if desired.