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Chunky Vegetable Chili

A hearty vegetable chili made with zucchini, sweet pepper, onion, celery, garlic, tomatoes, corn, black beans, salsa, and spices.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 13 ingredients
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Why it works: Oregano and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 983 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Chunky Vegetable Chili

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Combine zucchini, green sweet pepper, onion, celery, garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin in a 3½-quart or 4-quart Crockery Cooker.

  2. Stir in undrained tomatoes, undrained corn, drained beans, and salsa.

Cook and serve

  1. Cover and cook on low heat for 8 to 10 hours, or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours.

  2. Ladle the chili into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

410Calories
32 gProtein
4 gFat
68 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 13 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Black Bean1/2 cup canned (120g) drained114
Yogurt170g plain Greek100
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Cucumber1/2 cup sliced (52g)16
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Cumin1 tsp ground (2.1g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Dairynot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Oregano + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together983 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  3. Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,082 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  4. Oregano + tomatotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,767 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  5. Garlic + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,756 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Zucchini
Adds bulk and tender texture as it softens during slow cooking.
Black beans
Add body and substance, holding their shape through long cooking.
Stewed tomatoes
Provide the liquid base and acidity that carry the chili's flavor.
Chili powder
Supplies the main spiced, warm flavor of the chili.
Sour cream
Adds cool creaminess that balances the heat of the chili.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pepper, celery, clove, garlic, oregano, cumin, tomato):

  1. Eggplantfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Carrotfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pepper, celery, clove, garlic, oregano, cumin, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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