Spicy Black Bean Chili with Hearty Greens

5 from 3 votes

Spicy Black Bean Chili with Hearty Greens

The timing is for pressure cooker or Instant Pot. This spicy black bean chili with hearty greens will rock your chili world. You will totally love how the greens balance the already vibrant flavors of this nourishing vegetarian chili. Makes about 8 servings.

Prep Time25

Cook Time15

Total Time40

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: arugula, black beans, leafy greens

Servings: servings.

Calories: 236kcal

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

2 cups dried black beans, rinsed and soaked 6 to 8 hours or overnight (see note)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large red onions, chopped, about 5 cups
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 to 4 cups water (see note)
2 teaspoons chipotle chile oil (recipe below)
7 ounces mild green chiles, diced
1 cup red salsa ,purchased or homemade
5 ounces bitter greens, e.g. arugula beet greens, mess o' greens, mustard greens, etc., washed, large stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Avocado
Jicama ,cut in matchstick lengths
Diced green chiles
Chopped cilantro leaves
Cotija cheese crumbles , optional
Sour cream or Mexican crema , optional

For the Chipotle Oil:

1 (7-ounce) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons avocado oil

Instructions

In a pressure cooker, heat the olive oil over medium flame. (see notes for regular stove-top cooking)
Add the onions and garlic. Sauté, stirring occasionally until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the chili powder, cumin, and oregano, stirring to mix into the onions. Add the water, soaked beans, chipotle oil, green chiles, and salsa.
Lock the lid in place and cook on high pressure 13 minutes. Quick release the pressure.
Stir in the greens and cook 5 to 10 minutes, until they shrink and disappear into the beans. The time depends on the greens. For example, beet greens will take longer to cook, and arugula less time.
Stir in the vinegar. Taste, adding salt to your liking. Serve with your choice of garnishes, vegan or the optional cheese and sour cream.

For the chipotle oil:

In a blender puree the chiles with the oil until smooth, adding a bit more oil, if needed, for a smooth paste. Reserve in freezer to use as desired.

Notes

For regular stove-top cooking, be sure to soak the beans beforehand. Keep an eye on the water level as the beans cook, always keeping them covered with liquid. Depending on the age of the beans, cooking time will be one to 3 hours, until the beans are perfectly tender.
With canned beans: Saute the onions and garlic per recipe. Substitute 4 cans, rinsed and drained, black beans for the dried beans. To meld all the flavors into the beans, cook, covered on medium low flame about 30 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, stir in the chopped greens.
For a thicker chili, use the smaller amount of water.

Nutrition