Baked potato wedges and a vegetarian quinoa chili combine for a hearty fall meal that can be enjoyed without feeling greasy after.
By Gin Butters
Nothing hits the spot like a big ol’ plate of chili fries – especially ones you can really dig into cause they’re totally healthy! 
Chili fries are a hallmark of my youth and late-night beer-soaked dining. Best eaten with a 1:1 bite/napkin ratio, or if you’re in a drunken food emergency, use your shirttail.
But these chili fries, the ones I’m talking about right here, are so good totally sober adults can dig in and love with no regrets.
And they go great with a beer too.
This is a hearty American-style veggie quinoa chili piled high on fresh, seasoned oven fries. So full of flavor, so totally fun, so not full of grease or meat or canned cheese sauce.
It’s got lots of garlic and spice and a dash of red wine for boku savoriness. The quinoa, red beans and black beans bring extra filling deliciousness and mega protein. Mega!
The chili recipe makes 7 cups, and that’s a lot. If you don’t have a feast for all your friends and family, you’ll have leftover chili to nosh on at will throughout the week.
Find the baked potatoes recipe here.
PrintQuinoa Chili Fries
- Yield: 7 cups of chili 1x
Description
Baked potato wedges and a vegetarian quinoa chili combine for a hearty fall meal that can be enjoyed without feeling greasy after.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried quinoa, cooked according to package
- 3 Tbs olive oil (or your favorite cooking oil)
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- pinch red pepper flakes
- a few twists fresh black pepper
- 4–5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 bunch (8 or so) green onions, chopped (save tops for garnish)
- 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 15 oz. can or 1½ c cooked red or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 15 oz. can or 1½ c cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 Tbs low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 15 oz. cans diced no salt added tomatoes
- 1 6 oz. can no salt added tomato paste
- 1 Tbs maple syrup (or your favorite sweetener)
- 2 Tbs red cooking wine
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 c water
- potatoes, amount depends on number of servings
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa and set aside. Prep the veggies while the quinoa cooks.
- In a large, lidded pot combine the oil, chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Raise the heat to low and let the spices bloom for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and onions. Raise the heat to medium low and sauté 5 minutes. Add the peppers, raise the heat to medium and sauté 5 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked quinoa and saute 3-4 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover loosely, turn the heat to low and let the chili simmer while you make the fries.
Fries
- Find the link to the recipe above
- Category: Appetizer, Main
- Cuisine: American
The recipe is not just for chili, but chili fries. So, a recommended quantity of potatoes should be included here and the lack thereof of is frustrating. Surely there’s a suggestible amount of potatoes or fries that is appropriate for the amount of chili made. That’s part of recipe writing… there’s a component missing.