This butternut squash chili is loaded with sweet-tart apples, hearty chickpeas and warming spices for an unexpectedly toasty flavor that’s sure to warm you up.
Happy almost Thanksgiving! I’ve got, of all things to share on this late November day, a chili recipe. I know, y’all are in Holiday food mode, cooking up vegan meatloaves and dairy-free cheesy broccoli casserole like crazy, right? But listen. What on earth are you going to eat all week long while you get ready for the big day? Butternut squash chili perhaps. It’s actually perfect for this week, for a few reasons.
(1) This stuff is satisfying and healthy. The last thing I want to do during the week preceding a food holiday is load up on junk food. Mitigate.
(2) It’s easy! Who want’s to deal with pain-in-the butt fancy food for dinner this week? Not me.
(3) Chili is the best big-batch food, which means you can eat it all week long. You’ll get about six servings from this recipe, so multiply if you’ve got a lot of people to feed throughout the week. Make this once, and you don’t have to worry about dinner for the rest of the week. Bonus: if you really plan well, you can avoid the supermarket altogether, and the supermarket is the last place I want to be any time between now and Thursday.
So there you have it! Oh, also, this stuff is tasty as heck! It might be my new favorite chili, and I’ve got a handful of beloved chili recipes. After I threw the cinnamon and nutmeg in my batch I started second guessing myself, thinking it might be weird, but it was only weird in a good way, by which I mean super delicious and kind of the ultimate fall chili.
Smoky Sweet Butternut Squash Chili with Chickpeas & Apples
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1-14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 3 cups diced butternut squash, about half a medium-sized squash
- 1 large apple, Gala or Cortland work well, peeled, cored and diced
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1-14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and place over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
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Add crushed and diced tomatoes, broth, butternut squash, apple, maple syrup, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir a few times and raise heat to medium-high. Bring to a simmer. Lower heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, until squash is tender, about 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a bit of water if mixture becomes too thick during cooking.
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Stir in chickpeas and cook another minute, just until heated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Ladle into bowls and serve with your favorite chili toppings.
This seems absolutely delicious and tasty!
Thank you! It was!!
YUM that looks so good. Chickpeas are the best! :)
Thanks Amy! Heck yeah they are!!
This is like the perfect POST thanksgiving meal, just totally different than mashed potatoes and roasts! XD
YES! I’m seriously considering making another big batch to have around, because I have a feeling cooking is the last thing I’ll feel like doing next week. ;)
I made this the other day – a double batch because I love chick peas and we have nearly 30 butternut squash from the garden – it was absolutely incredible! I added pepitos to the top when serving – for a little crunch! This is my favorite chili recipe now! Thanks so much!
Awesome! I think I pretty much decided that this was my new favorite too. Glad you enjoyed it!!
Can this be done in the crockpot?
I’m sure it could, but I’m not sure about the cook time since I haven’t tried it myself. I’d just put everything except the chickpeas in at once, and after a couple of hours start checking every thirty minutes or so, then add the chickpeas and give them a few minutes to heat up. :)
Just made it in a crock pot! Used black beans instead of chick peas. Delicious!!
This dish was amazing!! I didn’t have chickpeas on hand, so used black beans instead and it was so good.
Definitely will make again :)
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed it! And I can defintely see how this would be good with black beans. I might try that myself next time. :)