Description
A comforting one-pot butternut squash chili recipe made with ground turkey or beef, warm spices including cinnamon, beans, and corn. Perfect for cool weather and easily customizable.
Ingredients
For the Chili:
- 1 large butternut squash (about 2–3 pounds), peeled and cubed into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound ground turkey or ground beef (85/15 works perfectly)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz) can corn, drained (or 1½ cups frozen corn)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Homemade Chili Seasoning Mix:
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (trust me on this!)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, for heat)
Optional Toppings:
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt
- Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
- Diced avocado
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Turn your oven to 400. Cut up the squash into chunks – doesn’t have to be perfect. Put some oil and salt on them and stick them in the oven for 20 minutes. They’ll get a little brown and taste way better than if you just throw them in raw.
Get your Dutch oven nice and hot with that remaining oil. Toss in your ground meat and break it up with a wooden spoon. Let it brown for about 6-8 minutes – you want some good color on it. Don’t stir it too much at first; let it get those crispy brown bits that make everything taste better.
Dump in your onion and peppers right with the meat. Cook everything together for about 5 minutes until the onions start looking translucent. Then add that garlic – just for a minute though, because burnt garlic tastes awful and ruins everything.
Sprinkle in your homemade chili seasoning mix and stir everything together. Let it cook for about 30 seconds to bloom those spices – this is where the magic happens!
Add the butternut squash (roasted or raw), diced tomatoes, both types of beans, corn, and broth. Stir everything together and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer uncovered. If using pre-roasted squash, simmer for 15-20 minutes. If using raw squash, simmer for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and the flavors have melded beautifully.
Notes
That cinnamon isn’t crazy – it’s actually traditional in Cincinnati chili and works perfectly with butternut squash. Start with what I’ve listed and adjust next time if you want more. No butternut squash at the store? Acorn squash or even sweet potatoes work, though they taste a bit different. I’ve tried both when I was desperate.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop, One-Pot
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: with ground turkey, 1 cup serving
- Calories: 285
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 650mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 18g
- Cholesterol: 45mg