Crockpots are a godsend for lazy (or busy) home cooks. Besides from the prep, you can just throw everything into one pot and come back a few hours later to a finished meal.

When I called this chili protein-packed, I wasn’t exaggerating. 9 different kinds of beans, edamame, shredded tofu—you’re getting a ton in every serving. On top of that, the flavour is perfect for the colder weather and it’s filling. I put in a couple of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce (these should be easy enough to find in a big supermarket) but if you don’t have access to these I’d suggest using some smoked paprika and a bit of hot sauce. If you love smoky flavour I’d even say a drop or two of liquid smoke would be a good addition.

Feel free to play around with what you add in. Chili is forgiving. If you’ve got a bunch of bits and pieces sitting around in your fridge that need to get used up, chances are if you toss them into a slow cooker for 6 hours it’ll taste glorious.

Note: My batch was a little more liquidy than I would have liked. To fix this, I just added in a small amount of cornstarch mixed with water to thicken it up. Allowing the chili to sit overnight in the fridge lets the flavours mix and thickens it up even more. The photos you’re seeing are before I attempted any thickening.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 1/2 cups dried bean mix (I used Golden Boy 9-bean soup mix, but make your own if you want)**
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 cup frozen edamame
• 5 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus a teaspoon of the sauce
• 3/4 cup firm tofu, shredded
• 1 (796mL) can diced tomatoes, plus liquid (should be about 2 cups liquid without tomatoes)
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 whole dried cayenne pepper

**If you’re making your own bean mix, I’d suggest a mix of kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils, peas, etc.

Method

Rinse bean mix well. Place beans in a large bowl and cover with water so that 4 inches comes above the bean mix. Soak for 12 hours or overnight. Drain and set aside.

Add all ingredients to bowl of the slow cooker. Put the lid on and cook on high for 6 hours. Serve with quinoa or rice. Keep in the fridge up to 5 days, or freeze in batches.