Pressure Cooker Lentil Chili cooks in less than 30 minutes, and is a nutritious, hearty vegetarian/vegan meal.
Recently I made this pressure cooker lentil chili for a couple who just had a baby. Their baby is in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) so they’ve been spending entire days at the hospital. I had first-hand experience when our twin boys were born 11 weeks premature. They spent 10 weeks in the NICU and it was a very stressful time.
The church reached out to our community to provide meals for this family, and I signed up for the first weekend worth of meals. The only catch was I had just two hours to prepare all the food due to the last minute notice.
This lentil chili was one of four meals I whipped up in two hours. Some of you might know that I’ve been volunteering in a commercial kitchen for almost a year, and my prep skills and efficiency in the kitchen have improved exponentially. I feel as if I can prep/cook twice as fast now.
This pressure cooker lentil chili recipe is based on a Slow Cooker Lentil Chili Recipe I made several years ago. The pressure cooker is the opposite of a slow cooker. Pressure cookers are especially handy for cooking beans, broths and stews when you’re short on time. These lentils took just 14 minutes to cook in a pressure cooker.
Lentils are nutritious plant-based source of protein, and have a nice meaty texture. I used a combination of French green lentils and brown lentils, which hold up well in chilis and stews. Each serving has almost 18 grams of protein and just under 300 calories. Serve over steamed brown rice or a baked sweet potato, with a nice tossed salad.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onions, chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- 1½ cups (15 -ounce can) crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups dry lentils (I used a combination of French green lentils and brown lentils), picked through for stones, rinsed and drained
- 3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- salt to taste
- Heat oil in pressure cooker. Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Saute until onions are softened and lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano and mustard and stir well for a minute or two. Add tomatoes, lentils, broth, and salt to taste. Pressure cook for 14 minutes or until lentils are tender.
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