Vegan Hominy and White Bean Chili

Vegan hominy and white bean chili is a great way to use whole hominy. An offbeat, colorful chili featuring hominy, white beans, sweet potatoes, and bell pepper, it’s just as satisfying as more traditional chili recipes.

Fragrant, hearty, and easy to make, thisenjoy this chili all fall and winter. You’ll find canned hominy (which is what this recipe calls for) shelved near other canned corn products on supermarket shelves.

What is hominy?

Hominy results from soaking corn kernels until their hulls come off. Once a widely-used item in Colonial times, today it’s best known as the key ingredient in a Southwest dish known called posole. (When the inner corn kernel has been dried and coarsely ground, the result is hominy grits.)

Hominy has a pleasantly chewy texture and a mild flavor reminiscent of the original kernel corn from which it came, with an added nuttiness. 

According to an article in The Food Network, “cooked hominy kernels are about three times the size of raw sweet corn kernels. They can be eaten like corn or mixed into corn-based dishes, such as succotash. Additionally, they can be used to fortify a variety of soups, stews and casseroles.” Read more about hominy in this article.

As mentioned earlier, canned hominy is shelved with other canned corn products in well-stocked supermarkets. Dried hominy isn’t as widely available, but can be purchased online.

What to serve with white bean and hominy chili

As with other types of chili, fresh homemade cornbread is a perfect companion. Otherwise, a good sourdough bread is great, too.

• Consider serving with Vegan Corn Muffins with Cheese and Herbs or Jalapeño Cornbread. A simple salad or slaw (like Crunchy and Colorful Cabbage Apple Slaw) is always welcome.
• Use an extra sweet potato to make Vegan Sweet Potato Biscuits to serve with the chili.

Recipe is from Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.

Explore more …

• Quick Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
• Classic Vegetable Chili with Lots of Variations
• Globally-Inspired Vegan Stews for Fall & Winter Meals.
• White Bean Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Squash

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Yield: 6 to 8

Vegan White Bean and Hominy Chili

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Vegan white bean and hominy chili is a great way to use whole hominy, if you’ve never tried it before. An offbeat, colorful chili featuring whole hominy, white beans, and sweet potatoes, it’s just as satisfying as more traditional chili recipes.

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium red or green bell pepper, cut into short, narrow strips
• 1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 cups water
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups cooked or two 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 15- to 16-ounce can whole hominy
• 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (try fire-roasted)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 to 2 fresh hot green chili peppers (like jalapeño), one 4-ounce can chopped mild green chilies, or 1 to 2 chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, more or less to taste (see Note)
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
• Salt to taste
• Dried hot red pepper flakes to taste, optional

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is golden.
2. Stir in the bell pepper, sweet potatoes, and water. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently until the sweet potatoes are just tender but still firm, about 10 to 15 minutes. 
3. Add the beans, hominy, tomatoes, corn, chilies, cumin, and oregano. Simmer gently for 20 to 25 minutes longer. Stir in the cilantro, and taste first before adding any salt (you may not need much, if any due to the canned beans and hominy. If desired, season with red pepper flakes if you are not using chipotles.
4. The stew should have the consistency of a thick chili—quite moist, but not overly soupy. Add a bit more water if too thick. Serve at once, or let stand off the heat for an hour or so, then heat through before serving.

Notes

Note: Using chipotle chilies will give this stew a smoky flavor, and will be spicier than if using green chilies.

If you like white bean stews, you may also enjoy …

See lots more delectable vegan soups & stews.