This butternut squash chili is one of my favorite cold-weather meals. This chili is full of healthy and hearty veggies, flavorful seasoning, and always hits the spot. It’s so easy to make in one pot and comes together in less than an hour.
This comforting chili is not just for dinner. It reheats wonderfully, so you can meal prep or freeze this chili for another day. It also uses simple, wholesome ingredients that are pantry staples or easy to find at your local grocery store. Want another easy weeknight dinner? Try my lentil stew recipe, vegetarian stuffed peppers recipe, or eggplant lasagna recipe.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Onion — You can use a yellow, white, or sweet onion for the chili. Use what you have on hand!
- Protein — I’m using ground beef, but you can use any ground protein of your choice. You can also skip the beef and opt for a meatless chili. You can also use a plant-based protein.
- Seasoning — I use a flavorful combination of cumin, chili powder, and coriander. If you have the Sloppy Papi seasoning, add that as well.
- Tomatoes — Use canned dice tomatoes for convenience and a tangy flavor. Fire-roasted tomatoes add a smokier flavor profile, but you can use regular diced tomatoes if you do not have fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
- Butternut squash — Buy a butternut squash that’s dark beige and has a firm texture. If the squash feels soft or has a lot of dings, skip it. You also want a squash that feels heavy for its size.
- Beans — I use black beans for this chili recipe, but you can swap them out for another type of beans, such as kidney beans, navy beans, or garbanzo beans.
- Broth — Feel free to use any broth you have on hand, such as chicken broth, vegetable broth, or beef broth.
How to Make Butternut Squash Chili
Step 1: Prepare the butternut squash by peeling and dicing them.
Step 2: Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, add onions and saute until slightly translucent. Add the ground meat.
Step 3: Add the cumin, chili powder, coriander, and Sloppy Papi seasoning, if using, and cook through, breaking it up with a spoon.
Step 4: Add in the diced tomatoes with juices. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the sauce is slightly reduced.
Step 5: Add broth, beans, and butternut squash, scraping any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a low simmer, and cook covered for 20-30 minutes.
Step 6: Use a masher to mash butternut squash into the rest of the chili. Serve and top with your favorite garnishes.
Tips For This Recipe
- Make sure to dice the butternut squash as uniformly as possible so it cooks evenly.
- To save time, you can buy pre-peeled and diced butternut squash.
- A large Dutch oven is ideal for making this butternut squash chili as you don’t want the ingredients to overflow as you mash chili.
- If you have trouble peeling the butternut squash, you can microwave the squash for 30 seconds to help soften it.
- Instead of tossing the seeds in the butternut squash, you can roast them like you do pumpkin seeds.
- You can make the chili spicy with some chopped jalapenos or red pepper flakes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep leftover chili in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or microwave.
You can. Skip the toppings and allow the chili to cool to room temperature before freezing it for up to 3 months. My favorite way to freeze this is by transferring it in a bag, making sure to squeeze out any air, and then laying it flat so it freezes flat. Doing so saves you a ton of freezer space and thaws much faster.
You can definitely make this chili in a slow cooker. I suggest sauteing the onions and ground meat on the stovetop and then adding everything into a slow cooker. Give all the ingredients a good stir and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!
If you’ve tried this Butternut Squash Chili Recipe, then don’t forget to leave me a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Butternut Squash Chili
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup onions diced
- 1 lb ground protein of your choice
- 1 medium butternut squash (5 cups), peeled, seeded and in ½ inch cubes
- 1 packet Hi Note Sloppy Papi seasoning optional
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juices
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans rinsed and drained
- 24 oz vegetable chicken or beef broth
Optional Garnishes:
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sliced scallions
- tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot over medium heat, add onions and saute until slightly translucent.
- Add in protein, Sloppy Papi seasoning, cumin, chili powder and coriander, and cook through, breaking it up with a spoon.
- Add in the diced tomatoes with juices. Cook for 5-7 minutes until sauce is slightly reduced.
- Add broth, beans and butternut squash, scraping any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Bring to a low simmer, cook covered for 20-30 minutes until butternut squash is tender and all the flavors have melded together. Use a masher to mash butternut squash into the rest of the chili.
- To serve, ladle chili into a bowl and top with your favorite garnishes.
Notes
- Make sure to dice the butternut squash as uniformly as possible so it cooks evenly.
- To save time, you can buy pre-peeled and diced butternut squash.
- A large Dutch oven is ideal for making this butternut squash chili as you don’t want the ingredients to overflow as you mash chili.
- If you have trouble peeling the butternut squash, you can microwave the squash for 30 seconds to help soften it.
- Instead of tossing the seeds in the butternut squash, you can roast them like you do pumpkin seeds.
- You can make the chili spicy with some chopped jalapenos or red pepper flakes.
Leave a Reply