A beautiful medley of black beans, golden corn, and fire-roasted diced tomatoes form the foundation of this hearty make-ahead vegetarian chili, a consistent favorite on our river trips—good for dinner and even better the next morning in breakfast burritos.
Hearty chilis form the basis of many of our river trip meals, but this black bean chili stands out as a perennial favorite. It looks amazing with a bright mix of black beans, golden corn, and red tomatoes. Chickpeas provide added texture, and diced green chiles give this dish a mouth-watering, warm spiciness.
The best part about this chili is It comes together quickly, so it’s a go-to when we’re trying to gather food for a river trip in a hurry. As with all chilis, this one freezes well, pairs beautifully with tortillas or cornbread for dinner, and can be used as the basis for breakfast burritos in the morning—if you have any left! (If your river trip crowd is really into chilis, as ours is, also check out our White Bean Chili recipe, which has an amazing spice combo.)
Ingredients
Black beans: These are our crowd’s hands-down favorite beans for camping meals as they are so flavorful, hold up to reheating, and pair well with the Mexican flavors we’re fond of. I typically start with dried black beans, cooking them for the better part of a day in a slow-cooker, but canned beans work well, too.
Golden corn: Corn brightens up the chili, adding visual interest and that famous corn-tastic flavor.
Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: Not sure what we all did before these cans of wonder hit the shelves, but we’re big fans now as they add so much flavor.
Chickpeas: Adding chickpeas (garbanzo beans) gives this chili extra integrity—a little more protein, a little more chewiness, so even carnivores won’t miss the meat.
Diced green chiles: Another staple in my dishes, diced green chiles provide just the right kind of spice—warm and savory rather than burn-your-lips-off hot.
Onions and garlic: The basis of all good things!
Tips for making, freezing, and reheating chili in river camp
As outlined in our guidelines for river meal planning, we advocate serving meals in river camp that you’ve made ahead of time, frozen thoroughly, and kept cold at the bottom of the cooler in your raft. Vacuum-sealing the meal before freezing extends the number of river days you can go before serving it. (Check out our river trip food-packing tips for more information.) The prep for this chili is as simple as it gets.
- Although you could make this chili completely from canned ingredients, I like to start with dried black beans and cook them in a slow cooker just to the point of tenderness. Starting with canned black beans tends to yield mushier chili, especially since you’ll be freezing the chili before the trip and reheating it in camp.
- To make the chili, dice the onion and mince the garlic, then brown both in a large stockpot. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Let the chili cool to near room temperature before freezing. Pour the chili into several silicone containers, then place those in the freezer at least 24 hours before your trip. When the chili is well frozen, pop out the blocks and vacuum-seal with a FoodSaver or other vacuum sealer—this last step will help the chili keep longer in the cooler.
- On the river, pull the chili out of the cooler at least midday so it’s somewhat thawed before you hit camp. (You’d be surprised how thoroughly frozen a well-sealed and pre-frozen dish can stay in a good-quality cooler.) When it’s time to heat the chili (ideally when it’s at least partially thawed), turn the camp stove flame to a low level and decant the chili into the pot. Stir constantly to ensure the chili doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, and add a little vegetable stock or water if needed to avoid burning. (If the chili is still completely frozen and you need to get supper started anyway, you can speed the process by heating water first, and warming the vacuum-sealed package in the pot until it softens up.)
