Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Butternut Squash “Chili”

The fall equinox was last Sunday, so it means that it’s officially autumn! Too bad the weather didn’t get the memo.

Never mind! It’s autumn, and that means SOUPS. My family loves this butternut squash “chili,” and it’s a healthy, inexpensive meal for an autumnal weeknight. (The quotation marks are because I’m a Texan born and bred, and I have a moral objection to calling any stew-like creation that contains beans “chili.”) We’re trying to eat more plant-based meals, so it’s vegan. You can add ground turkey, ground beef, or ground lamb, if you like.

Butternut Squash Chili

Ingredients

2 10-ounce bags diced butternut squash or 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed (canned beans can contain a lot of sodium, hence the rinsing)
1 14-ounce can fire-roasted, diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
2 poblano peppers, diced
1 bell pepper (any color) diced
1 red onion, diced
4 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Optional toppings: Chopped cilantro, chopped onions, crushed tortilla chips, cheese (vegan or regular), sour cream or crema (vegan or otherwise), cornbread

Directions

Place all ingredients except for the optional toppings in a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Cook on low for about 5 hours or until the butternut squash is softened. To thicken the chili, remove 2 cups from the stockpot and mash. Return to the pot and stir into the chili. Serve with a range of toppings so that people can customize their bowls of chili.