Butternut Squash Chili

Happy New Year!  We celebrated the beginning of 2014 with great friends and good food.  Hope you did the same!  

And on January 1, a very important Wisconsin football game required some hearty fare. While Boo is not (by any stretch of the imagination) a vegetarian, we do often enjoy the same meals at home.   Case in point: this chili.  While it is vegetarian, it's about as stick-to-you-ribs as you can get without any added meat.  The cheddar biscuits don't hurt either...and it was a crowd-pleaser with meat and non-meat eaters alike.  But, if you and your Boo (and friends) are meat eaters, adding ground beef, chicken or turkey would work perfectly.  

Ingredients for 4-6 servings:

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 

1tbsp chili powder

2tsp cumin

1tsp paprika

2tbsp tomato paste or 1C tomato sauce

2c corn

12 oz can chipotles in adobo, diced 

1 28oz can, diced tomatoes

1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed well and drained

1 15oz can kidney beans, rinsed well and drained

1 15oz can white beans, rinsed well and drained

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, chopped, and steamed for 5 minutes in the microwave 

1c edamame

1c peas

olive oil for sautèing 

salt + pepper to taste 

cilantro, avocado, cheese, sour cream, as desired 

Directions

1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sweat onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat

2. Once onions are translucent, about 10 minutes, add dried spices and combine

3. Add tomato paste or tomato sauce, chipotles and corn

4. Combine beans and butternut squash with the onion and tomato mixture

5. Add half of the 28oz can of tomato sauce and reduce heat to low, cook at least one hour, stirring periodically and adding the remaining half can as the chili cooks down

6. If the chili gets too thick, add 1/2 C water and stir well, repeat if necessary 

7. Just before serving, add edamame and peas and stir to combine, cover and let cook 1 minute 

8. Serve with fresh cilantro, grated cheese or sour cream

a portion of the ingredients -- too many to fit in one shot

beans for days

 topped with cheddar biscuits 

 going huge...cheddar biscuits and sour cream 

 a butternut squash closeup 

To make the cheddar biscuits, I sliced leftover biscuits in half and topped with a slice of cheddar cheese, then placed them under the broiler until the cheese melted.    Cornbread would work well too! 

I love how colorful this chili is: red, white, green, orange, yellow, brown!  Not quite ROYGBIV, but getting close.  The adobo adds a lovely smokey hint of heat.  It's a great flavoring, but loaded with salt so you may not have to add any to this chili.  Taste it before serving to be sure it meets your specifications.  Also, don't feel limited by the beans I listed above...go wild! Use what you have or choose your favorites.  I prefer butternut squash to sweet potatoes to cut down on the caloric density of the dish, but sweet potatoes work (and taste great) here! 

What's your favorite chili topping?  I'd love to hear from you if you try this recipe!  Hope you enjoy...

xx,

Mrs. Wolf