Vegetarian Skillet Chili With Eggs and Cheddar Recipe (2024)

I would not use cast iron unless I was sure that there was a patina on the pan. Blue steel (high carbon) or stainless steel pans are preferable, as they will not react to the acidity in the tomatoes.

I am going to make this tonight. YUM! A word of caution when it comes to cooking tomato products in a cast iron skillet: the acid in the tomato will take your hard earned seasoning right off your pan. Chili in a cast iron pan looks cool, but you'll have to re-season the pan after dinner is done

This was an oh-so-delicious quick & easy weeknight meal! The eggs took a bit longer for me to poach (closer to 10-15 minutes for hard whites and runny yolk) -- that always seems to be the case when I make Shakshouka...but otherwise this dish came out perfect.Topping ideas: avocado, toasted pepitas or frito's for crunch, sour cream, diced red onion and/or green onion.Make sure to use a good quality chili powder to get the most depth of flavor since this chili doesn't cook for too long

My cast iron is all I use and I cook tomatoey acidic dishes in them all the time. Just don’t wait too long to rinse the pan and wipe it out with a bit of oil. Then put it on a low burner to dry. I store mine in the oven. Had at least two of them for 40 years.

Really nice! Pretty much as written and the flavor was excellent; deep and delicious. We finished it with fresh oregano and basil. Will do this again!

Thank you for adding vinegar. A chili recipe is never complete without a little vinegar and some sugar. My mom used to put 2 T ketchup in it. Makes a big difference

I was surprised at how flavorful this was, given its simplicity (although I used fire roasted canned tomatoes to give it a bit more zip, which I recommend).That said, I don't think this really requires a cast iron skillet. I had problems with the ingredients overflowing, and the surface temp where the eggs were cooking didn't break 165...it took a LONG time to get the eggs to cook at a simmer, and it was difficult to cover. I'm going to try a dutch oven next time.

Let the eggs come to room temp

I would recommend eggplant - zucchini squash - carrots or even something like turnips.

PS Yellow mustard also works wonders as a garnish to chili, as does cheddar cheese of course. It sounds a little strange but anyone who has ever had a chili dog will understand this combo :)

I added a couple of bell peppers with the onions and garlic, and then some roasted zucchini along with the beans. Skipped the eggs - just made it as a vegetarian chili. It’s become a weekly staple. Amazing.

I have the same problem with recipes like this; I find it difficult to get the eggs just the way I like. So I'll often cook them separately, either poached or soft boiled. It's not as pretty a presentation, but it gives you more control over egg consistency.

Another possibility would be parsnips. I like Vance's suggestion, as the eggplant will soak up anything. Another possibility that takes it even further away from chili would be spaghetti squash, but it does really well with tomatoes.

Vegetarian husband doesn’t eat eggs he can see. Added tofu to cook in the divers instead—broke it up. Should have added a bit sooner to soak up flavors a bit more but it worked great. Recipe turned out delicious. I didn’t have chili so I used canned Chipotle in Adobe sauce-worked great though used more sauce and less chipotle bc we don’t eat that much spice.

Liked the poached eggs idea. Added some corn & roasted potatoes. Used immersion blender to help thicken. Served over sliced polenta (from Trader Joe’s). Sorry to say most vegetarian chili leaves me hungry an hour later, but this approach does not have that problem. Thanks for the “smash some beans” idea.

Very flavorful and easy/quick enough for a weeknight meal. I used red onion and added spinach before the eggs. I also needed longer to cook the whites through. Maybe put it in the oven for a few minute at 400 next time?

My kids love this so much that it got them cooking! It’s so quick and easy and everybody gets excited about it—an excellent bridge between the meat-eaters and the vegetarians. I serve it with sliced seasoned avocados on the side and warm tortillas. It’s sure-fire.

I added a teaspoon of apple juice syrup for a better acid balance.

I’ve made this probably 6 or 7 times because we always have the ingredients in the house. It’s the perfect quick prep dinner for those days when you should have gone grocery shopping but didn’t have time. I’m always shocked at how terrific this comes out despite only incorporating a few ingredients and minimal cook time. Sometimes I’ll add canned corn for a pop of sweetness.

I'm sure this will be seen as blasphemy but I beat the eggs and stirred them in. The result was delicious and makes a wonderful dip.

Needs a bit more spice.

I did this in a dutch oven with no eggs. Used what I think was ground carraway instead of cumin (in my country, they have the same name), and used straight cayenne instead of chili powder (which we don't have)! Except for being eye-wateringly spicy, it was DELICIOUS. Thank you, Ali, for a great, easy recipe, albeit one which you probably did not intend.

A little odd that the recipe recommended a large cast-iron skillet but also instructed us to cover the skillet and cook the eggs... perhaps I'm missing something, but my cast-iron did not come with a cover and I think most do not. Anyways, if you're in a similar situation I recommend just covering the cast-iron using a baking a sheet. Even if a little of the pan is uncovered it should be ok if you give it a few extra min. Most NYT recipes require longer than recommended at every step...

Made exactly as directed in a cast iron with high sides and it came out perfectly. This is going into the regular rotation!

Instead of adding all the water from tomatoes and beans, I recommend straining both and keeping the water in bowls to add little by little as needed. Otherwise this can get watery

Great recipe. I doubled it & made it in a pot instead, and it still held up (although just a little more soupy than I'd prefer). I highly recommend adding zucchini, yellow squash, and/or cauliflower when the tomatoes go in.

This was good, especially as leftovers. Add toppings (avocado, lime, onion) and served on tostados with chips on the side. I was hesitant to add the eggs, ended up adding 2 and cooked them solid because I couldn’t really see them in the Chile. I threw out the one left in the leftovers because reheated egg seemed weird. Next time leave out. Also dial back the cheese or serve as a garnish only.

Great recipe! I've made a couple of times as directed and love it.Has anyone tried subbing lime juice for vinegar? I think I might prefer the taste but not sure if it will hold the egg whites tightly as the vinegar does?

Made this quickly during the week in between sports practices and it was a huge hit (and my kids often complain with the vegetarian dishes I make). It took longer than written to get the whites of the eggs cooked but just a few more minutes. We topped with some sliced avocado and served with tortilla chips. Crowd pleaser, no leftovers!

I used a custom chile powder mix: approx. 1 part chipotle to 2 parts each guajillo, dark ancho, and d'arbol powders. It also came out far too acidic for my taste. I adjusted with fish sauce (I'd imagine soy sauce works for vegetarians) and brown sugar to taste - approx. 1-2 tbsp of fish sauce and 1-2 tsp. brown sugar did the trick for me.