Creamy Queso Chili

One of our childcare providers, who frequently joins us for meals, eats mostly vegetarian meals. So I use that as an opportunity to help our family enjoy a few more meatless meals. It's a great reason for us to add variety into our meals and help with sustainability of both our planets and ourselves (although most meatless options that come to mind are things like grilled cheese, ice cream, etc., so perhaps not our own sustainability). 

This recipe from Eating Well caught my eye because it was vegetarian, quick and involved copious amounts of cheese. I adapted it because we don't have an Instapot, and it worked out well. We all enjoyed it, although my son said he only liked it when it was scooped on tortilla chips. We'll definitely repeat this variation.

Creamy Queso Chili
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
15-oz. can pinto or great northern beans, rinsed and drained
14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
4-oz. can diced green chilis
1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth 
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup Mexican-style cheese, shredded
2 oz. cream cheese, cubed
1 Tbsp. lime juice
Tortilla chips for garnish or dipping
Cilantro for garnish

Heat a large pot with the olive oil. Add pepper, onion and garlic. Stir until softened, about 3 minutes. Add spices, and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add beans, tomatoes, chili peppers, broth and salt. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes. Blend using an immersion blender to thicken. If you don't have an immersion blender, blend approximately half the soup to thicken it. 

Stir in cheeses until melted and smooth. Stir in lime juice and garnish as desired. Serves 4, so make a double batch to enjoy leftovers.