I first had this delicious (and healthy) soup at the Nordstrom Cafe in Denver. After chatting with the waiter for a few minutes, I casually asked him if the chef had any special secrets up his sleeve to making such a rich and flavorful veggie-based soup. To my complete surprise (and excitement!) he came back with a printed copy of the recipe that the head chef asked him to print for me.

Today I’m sharing the original recipe along with the slight modifications I made to it as I didn’t have all of the specific ingredients on hand.

Easy Spring Vegetarian Chili Soup Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves 6-8

Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, medium diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, medium diced
• 2 zucchini, unpeeled, ends removed, cut into quarter moons
• 2 small ribs celery with leafy tops, medium chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed, grated or finely chopped
• 3/4 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper powder
• 2/3 cup fresh corn cut from the cob
• 1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes with the juice, pulsed a few seconds in the food processor or broken up by hand
• 1 16 ounce can organic kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 vegetable bullion cubes (no salt added)
• 3-4 cups purified water
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/8 level teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit for less heat if desired)
• 3/4 tablespoon chili powder, your choice of brand and heat level
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 tablespoon organic honey (preferably raw and local)

Garnish ideas:

• Fresh chopped cilantro
• Sliced avocado
• Toasted pumpin seeds

Recipe: Prepare all ingredients as listed above. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onions, red bell pepper, zucchini and celery and sweat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic, chipotle powder, corn, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans and 1/2 cup water. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (careful not to let the garlic burn). Add 3 cups purified water and vegetable bullion cubes, bring to a boil and let simmer 10 minutes to let the cubes dissolve. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, thyme and honey; stir well to combine. Tip: double check that your bullion cubes do not contain salt. If they do, do not add any salt to the soup until all ingredients are added and you’ve tasted it to ensure it’s not over salted. Let soup continue to cook another 10 -15 minutes; check your seasonings and add additional salt & pepper if needed before serving. Reduce the burner to warm if letting the soup sit on the stove for longer than 30 minutes.

Cook once, eat two or three times:

To store, allow the soup to cool completely and store in freezer-safe glass containers in the refrigerator up to 3 days, 3 months in the freezer. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop and avoid the microwave if possible.

Easy Spring Vegetarian Chili Soup Recipe

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• Author: Elizabeth Rider
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: Serves 6-8 1x

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Ingredients

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• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, medium diced
• 1 large red bell pepper, medium diced
• 2 zucchini, unpeeled, ends removed, cut into quarter moons
• 2 small ribs celery with leafy tops, medium chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed, grated or finely chopped
• 3/4 tablespoon ground chipotle pepper powder
• 2/3 cup fresh corn cut from the cob
• 1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes with the juice, pulsed a few seconds in the food processor or broken up by hand
• 1 16 ounce can organic kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 vegetable bullion cubes (no salt added)
• 3–4 cups purified water
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/8 level teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit for less heat if desired)
• 3/4 tablespoon chili powder, your choice of brand and heat level
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 tablespoon organic honey (preferably raw and local)

Garnish ideas:

• Fresh chopped cilantro
• Sliced avocado
• Toasted pumpin seeds

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Instructions

Prepare all ingredients as listed above. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the onions, red bell pepper, zucchini and celery and sweat about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic, chipotle powder, corn, crushed tomatoes, kidney beans and 1/2 cup water. Cook another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally (careful not to let the garlic burn).

Add 3 cups purified water and vegetable bullion cubes, bring to a boil and let simmer 10 minutes to let the cubes dissolve. Reduce the heat to medium low and add the crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, salt, black pepper, thyme and honey; stir well to combine. Tip: double check that your bullion cubes do not contain salt. If they do, do not add any salt to the soup until all ingredients are added and you’ve tasted it to ensure it’s not over salted.

Let soup continue to cook another 10 -15 minutes; check your seasonings and add additional salt & pepper if needed before serving. Reduce the burner to warm if letting the soup sit on the stove for longer than 30 minutes.

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Notes

To store, allow the soup to cool completely and store in freezer-safe glass containers in the refrigerator up to 3 days, 3 months in the freezer. Reheat over low heat on the stovetop and avoid the microwave if possible.

Below is the recipe as it was given to me by the chef. In my version above, I substituted chipotle powder for chipotle puree, vegetable bullion cubes for vegetable base, and a little raw honey for the cornstarch because 1) I thought the cornstarch was a lot of extra unnecessary sugar/starch 2) I didn’t have any on hand, and 3) I think raw honey is better for you.

Original Nordstrom Spicy Vegetarian Chili Recipe
Yields 2.5 gallons

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/4 lbs yellow onions, 3/4 inch diced
• 1 lb red bell peppers, 3/4 inch diced
• 2 lbs zucchini, 3/4 inch diced
• 1 lb celery, 3/4 inch diced
• 2 oz minced garlic
• 1/8 cup chipotle puree
• 1 qt fresh corn from the cob
• 1 qt canned plum tomatoes, Stanislaus “Valorosa,” along with their juices
• 1/2 #10 can cooked kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 oz vegetable base, Minor’s low-sodium, no MSG
• 1 gallon water
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 3/4 level tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
• 3/4 cup cornstarch + cold water as needed

Method: Sanitize all work areas and tools in the preparation of the recipe. In a large stockpot warm the oil. Add onions, red bell peppers, zucchini and celery. Sweat, stirring occasionally for 12 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add garlic, chipotle puree, corn, crushed tomatoes and kidney beans. Cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Stir in and dissolve vegetable base, add water and bring to a boil to meld flavors. Add crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder, ground cumin, salt & fresh thyme, stir to combine. Using a whisk, stir occasionally to break up the vegetable mixture. Bring to a light boil. Mix the cornstarch with cold water to dissolve and add to soup while stirring constantly. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Cover and hold at 140°F until time of service.

Buon Appetito!