Quick Vegetarian Chili with Avocado Salsa

This chili was surprisingly good! I loved the chewiness of the barley...what an unusual grain to add to chili! The avocado relish was a great addition and bumped this dish into the outstanding, serve to company category.

This is my go-to chili recipe. The avocado salsa adds a fantastic finish. No one misses the meat and I love using grains we don't usually have. Added plus-it fits the bill for the 7 of us including the vegetarians in the family.

Am I the only one who was underwhelmed by this chili? Good, yes, but not fantastic - although I prepared exactly as directed, and it seems others made several changes. Thought there needed to be more spice, and the barley was definitely odd in a chili - I would use a second can of beans or some meatless crumbles next time instead. The avocado salsa was nice, but the fresh flavors of it got overwhelmed by the chili underneath.

Very good, easy and tasty. You can make so many substitutions to get rid of what's in your fridge. Plus, it's healthy and doesn't feel heavy like other chilis can! This is now my go-to chili recipe.

So good! What else is there to say? :)

Excellent, filling and easy to make! My family loved this chili, eating every speck in one sitting. This will become a staple "go-to" dish in my house.

Very nice melding of flavors. I added some reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese although it wasn't necessary. I will make this again

I hosted a big chili party around the holidays and made about a quadruple batch of this chili. I also made a large batch of chili w/meat, and this was hands-down the crowd's favorite! I absolutely love the salsa, I've made it tons of times and used it as a topping for grilled meats, with crudités, etc. But it goes particularly nicely on top of a big bowl of this chili :)

I served this for our superbowl party and it was a big hit! It was pretty spicy, but that's the way I like it. The avocado salsa really complements the flavors of the chili and is a refreshing contrast. I used rice instead of barley, chipotle chilies in adobo sauce as opposed to the green chilies, and instead of chips, I cut fajita tortillas into 8 slices, seasoned them with chili powder, and baked them for 12 mins at 375. They were definitely a nice touch.

This was a great chili! Like the other reviewers said, no one seemed to mind the lack of meat. The avocado salsa was good on it's own but really completed the chili. I couldn't find quick cooking barley so I used pearled barley. I partially cooked the barley in a pan by itself so it wouldn't absorb all of the liquid (30 minutes instead of 45) and then added it to the chili at the normal time. I also added an extra can of beans, My vegetarian daughter said it's her new favorite food. Definitely worth making!

I made this as written. Served to family. Everyone liked it and asked for the recipe. Good flavors and easy to make. Avocado salsa made it special. Made the night before and reheated. Next time will add the barley when I reheat if I'm not serving it immediately. The barley soaked up a lot of liquid and gave it a creamy sort of texture. It was still good, but I think I preferred it the first day I made it.

This is one of our family favorites! I substituted cayenne for chili powder (obviously significantly less, maybe 1/2 tsp) and thought the taste was far superior. I also added an extra can of black beans! Enjoy!

Awesome. My whole family loved it. Definitely take the time to include the avocado salsa and sour cream, as these add such great flavors to the chili. We will definitely be having this again. So nice to have so many healthy ingredients in one easy dish. Great for bringing to a new mom.

I agree with everyone, the avocado salsa makes this! The limey, slightly spicy, yet cool and creamy texture is great on the chili. My problem with most chili recipes is that they often have so many ingredients that they start tasting muddy, but this one doesn't at all. And what's better is you don't even miss the meat. I added twice as many tomatoes and another tablespoon of chili powder. I also had one small roll of vegetarian meat-free chorizo in the fridge that I added and I think it added good flavor, but I don't think you need it at all. The chili just doesn't need meat or any real meaty substitute. The barley was good in it, but I must say that as a chili purist, I found it a bit odd. It wasn't bad tasting at all, but I think next time I'll try tofu and corn in place of the barley- just to see if it would work.

wow!!!! this is sooooo good!!! I now much prefer barley than tons of beans. I added some shredded light cheddar, and some hot sauce for some kick on my chips. YUMMY!!!!

Came together quickly. I added green zucchini and an 8 oz package of sliced mushrooms for some added veggies. Avocado salsa was great!

This is delicious- the avocado salsa is a must!

very very good, my family and i really enjoyed it. served with cornbread and a salad. we'll definitely make it again