Jane's Vegetarian Chili

"My mother, Jane Stevens, has been making the best-tasting vegetarian chili for years. She says it's a takeoff of her mom's recipe and thinks the Worcestershire gives it its unique flavor." -Melissa Ohlson, Kalamazoo, MI

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups soup)

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 2  cups  chopped onion
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 4  cups  water, divided
• 2  tablespoons  sugar
• 2  tablespoons  chili powder
• 2  tablespoons  Worcestershire sauce
• 2  (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1  (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1  (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (16-ounce) can cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (6-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese, (optional)

Preparation

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Add 3 cups water and next 8 ingredients (through cannellini beans), stirring to combine.

Combine remaining cup of water and tomato paste in a bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended. Stir tomato paste mixture into bean mixture. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle soup into bowls. Top with cheese, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

276 (11% from fat)

Fat:

3.5g (sat 0.3g,mono 1.3g,poly 1g)

Protein:

12.7g

Carbohydrate:

49.7g

Fiber:

14.7g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

4.2mg

Sodium:

587mg

Calcium:

107mg