Vegetable Chili with Cornmeal Dumplings
Submitted by polishbrat
Smoky vegetable chili with zucchini, bell peppers, and jalapeño simmered in tomato sauce, crowned with tender cilantro-cheese cornmeal dumplings. A meatless main that satisfies.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
40 minThis is the kind of chili that makes meat-eaters forget there’s no meat in the bowl.
Zucchini, red and green bell peppers, and onions get sauteed with garlic and jalapeño, then simmered in a rich plum tomato sauce spiked with chili powder, cumin, fresh cilantro, and a touch of brown sugar to smooth out the edges.
But the real showstopper? Those cornmeal dumplings.
Little balls of cilantro-flecked cornmeal dough studded with farmer’s cheese, dropped right into the bubbling chili where they cook up pillowy and golden in about 10 minutes.
Chef Tips
- Gently submerge the dumplings and resist the urge to stir too much; they’re delicate until fully cooked
- Use fine yellow cornmeal for the smoothest dumpling texture
- The brown sugar isn’t for sweetness; it tames the acidity of two cans of plum tomatoes
- Make the chili base a day ahead and reheat before adding freshly formed dumplings
Ingredients
Directions
Sauté the onions, zucchini, bell peppers, and garlic until softened -- about 15 minutes.
Add the jalapeno, parsley, cilantro, and seasoning, and cook for 2 minutes.
Add tomatoes and the sauce and sugar; simmer for 10 more minutes.
Dumplings: mix the cornmeal and water.
Add the remaining ingredients.
Form into 1-inch balls.
Add dumplings to stew, stirring gently to submerge.
Simmer until dumplings are cook through, 10 -12 minutes.
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