“In the wintertime, I crave stick-to-your-ribs food. This chili is comforting and full of nutrients.”
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped or pressed through a garlic press
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 3 cups butternut squash cubes, in 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans, such as Great Northern (rinsed, if canned)
- 1 14-ounce can whole tomatoes with juice, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup store-bought salsa
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- Plain reduced-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 avocado, halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, 1 minute. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 more minute. Pour in the wine and let bubble 1 minute, stirring and scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add the butternut squash, beans, tomatoes and their juice, salsa, 1 cup water, the chili powder, cumin, cocoa, cinnamon and cayenne, if using. Bring the chili to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and the chili begins to thicken, about 1 hour. (If the soup looks too thick while cooking, add up to 1 cup more water.) Serve topped with a dollop of Greek yogurt and some avocado cubes.
- Cook’s Note: If you’re using dried beans, soak in water overnight, then simmer until just tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or cook 4 to 5 hours in a slow cooker on high).
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 340 |
| Total Fat | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 48 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 17 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
| Protein | 11 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 416 mg |
Reviews
This is a hearty recipe with lots of flavor! I would definitely recommend salting to taste at the end. I also sprinkled in some garlic powder in addition to the 2 cloves of garlic. I used low sodium broth instead of water and canned black beans because that was what I had on hand. I served this topped with shredded cheese, yogurt, scallions, and tortilla strips. This is a creative way to use up butternut squash! I found 1/2 inch cubes of butternut squash were a nicer bite size for this too.
Amazing chili ! Loved the depth of flavor with the cocoa powder and cinnamon and mixing the salsa in. I can’t eat bell pepper so subbed in 2 carrots and 2 celery hearts. Will definitely be making again !
Loved this. Accidentally made it extra spicy so added a can of sweet corn. Delicious.
Delicious! We used black beans instead of white (because we already had them) but everything else made this a great dinner with lots of leftovers!
Just made this today and it was easy and delicious! I don’t like a lot of heat so I halved the chili powder and cumin and left out the cayenne pepper; it wasn’t spicy at all (which was fine by me!). Highly recommend!