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Mushroom Barley Chili
Andre Lewis

Mushroom Barley Chili

Pearled barley gives this vegetarian chili the chewy heft of a long-cooked beef pot. It also keeps absorbing liquid, so watch the last ten minutes and add water if the spoon stands upright. Deeply browned mushrooms make the difference between robust and merely earnest.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 16 oz cremini mushrooms chopped
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp ancho chile powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
  • 15 oz canned pinto beans drained
  • 3/4 cup pearled barley
  • 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Method
 

  1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the mushrooms for 10 minutes until browned and dry at the edges.
  2. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic, ancho powder and cumin for 30 seconds.
  3. Add the tomatoes, pinto beans, barley, broth and salt and bring the pot to a boil.
  4. Reduce the heat and simmer partly covered for 40 to 45 minutes until the barley is tender.
  5. Add up to 1 cup water as needed and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until the chili is thick but ladleable.