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.

The post Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: Butternut Squash “Chili” first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.