Squash in your chili might sound strange, but let me assure that it's mighty delicious. This chili is definitely worth trying to shake up your regular chili recipe!
Chili is one of the best comfort foods. Almost everyone likes chili; it's easy to make; and there are so many different versions.
However, I sometimes get in a chili rut. I can make it without a recipe, and even that can get a little boring.
To change things up, I used this recipe from the November issue of Cooking Light Magazine.
[clickToTweet tweet="Squash in your chili might sound strange, but let me assure that it's mighty delicious. This chili is definitely worth trying to shake up your regular #chili recipe! #GF #DF" quote="Squash in your chili might sound strange, but let me assure that it's mighty delicious. This chili is definitely worth trying to shake up your regular #chili recipe! #GF #DF"]
Now I know squash in your chili sounds wrong, but this was really tasty.
Only problem is that I hate, really hate, dealing with butternut squash. Luckily, I found peeled and cubed butternut squash in the produce section at Walmart {yay}.
You can also use this amazing vegetable peeler that will make you hate peeling butternut squash a whole lot less!
Try not to let the long list of ingredients turn you away because this is worth making.
I used this recipe from Cooking Light as my inspiration but made a few changes.
And I thought it turned out amazing -- amazing enough to remember years later and make again (which is a big deal for me since I rarely have the chance to repeat recipes more than once or twice).
Note: This was originally posted on December 30, 2011. Recipe and photos have been updated.
So yes, squash in your chili. Make it; it's good.
Pinky promise.
Butternut Squash Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil avocado or canola oil, divided
- 1 ¼ pound boneless chuck roast trimmed and cut in ½-inch cubes (I got the butcher to do this for me)
- ¾ teaspoon salt divided
- 1 ½ cups onion chopped (1 large)
- 1 cup green bell pepper chopped (1 medium)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 6 cloves
- 1 cup dry red wine or unsalted broth
- 1 cup unsalted chicken broth or beef or vegetable broth or water
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder or chili powder + ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper
- â…› teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 28 ounce whole tomatoes undrained & chopped
- 15 ounce kidney beans rinsed and drained, reduced-sodium or no-salt-added
- 4 cups butternut squash cubed & peeled
- 1 cup carrots chopped (2 medium)
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Sprinkle beef with ½ teaspoon salt, and add beef to pan. Cook for 8 minutes, making sure to turn so all sides are cooked. Remove beef from pan and set aside.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoon oil to pot. Add onion and bell pepper to pot, and cook for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and garlic; cook for 1 minutes stirring constantly. Add the wine (or broth) and broth (or water) to the pot. Bring to a boil, scraping the pot. Cook for 2 minutes. Add beef back to the pot.
- Stir in ancho chile powder, oregano, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, tomatoes, kidney beans, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently for 60 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally.
- Add butternut squash and carrots to the pan. Simmer for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until beef is tender.
- Serve & enjoy!! You can top it with chopped cilantro, sour cream or plain yogurt, or any other toppings if desired.
Notes
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