Butternut squash chili

It’s officially autumn, and even though the temperature outside has still been reaching the 80s, September has a funny way of prompting every food and beverage company in the Northern Hemisphere to release their “everything-pumpkin” lines come the first of the month. Pumpkin-spice lattes, pumpkin scones, pumpkin tea, pumpkin cereal, pumpkin bread…..pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin! I guess people are so sick of summer by the time September 1 rolls around, so all of a sudden, it should be cool and crisp and Thanksgiving-y? Call me crazy, but the summer heat is my happy place. I do love the fall months too, and all the culinary bliss that accompanies, but cold weather and I do not get along. I’m that person who brings a sweater to a summer BBQ. Sad, but true.

So, in light of this pumpkin craze, I went to Whole Foods on a mission to purchase ingredients for a hearty fall chili. I’ve made pumpkin chili before (last Halloween, actually!), and while it’s perfectly fine to use canned pumpkin puree, I wanted my chili to be chunky. Fresh pumpkins are not in season yet, so the next best thing to a pumpkin? Butternut squash! You can interchange the two in any recipe. They cook up exactly the same, whether steamed, sautéed, or roasted, and they share a similar earthy sweetness. Winter squashes, as they are formally known, as opposed to summer squashes, like zucchini, are few of the reasons I do love fall, so I take advantage of this season to cook up healthy meals with these gourds. Funny enough though, organic zucchini was on sale at Whole Foods, so I snatched these too!

My one-pot-wonder turned out to be a marriage of winter and summer squash! The best of both seasons! While the zucchini cooked down in the pot, I roasted the butternut squash in the oven at 450 F so that the butternut squash could caramelize and develop a robust flavor that only an oven can lend (okay, yes, since I roasted the butternut squash on a cookie sheet in the oven, this chili is technically not a “one-pot meal,” but you don’t have to roast your squash; you can sauté it in the pot with the zucchini too). For a spicy kick, I added chipotle in adobo and a generous sprinkling of chili powder, and for a protein punch, I added in kidney beans and black beans. A finishing of apple cider vinegar gives the chili a pleasant zest that balances the heat of the chipotle and cuts through sweetness of the butternut squash.

As delicious as this chili is, it’s just as healthy! Chock-full of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, iron, and magnesium, just to name a few, it’s basically a cure-all for any pending illness, especially those loathsome winter colds. So, whether it’s the end of summer or the middle of a frigid winter, try this recipe! Here’s how I made it:

For the squash:

1 small or medium butternut squash, peeled and large diced**

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

For the rest of the chili:

2 zucchini squash, large diced

½ large onion, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup tomato paste

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 chipotle in adobo

2-3 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. freshly ground cumin seeds

1 Tbsp. dried oregano

Salt and black pepper to taste

4 cups vegetable broth

3 tsp. apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Scallions (optional for serving)

Preheat your oven to 450 F. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt and black pepper. Roast for 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and black pepper. Allow the onions to caramelize, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are browned, add the zucchini. Stir and allow the zucchini to cook down, seasoning with more salt and pepper as needed. Once the zucchini has cooked down, about 8-10 minutes, add the tomato paste and chipotle in adobo. Stir to break up the tomato paste and coat all the vegetables. Add in the dried oregano. Add in the vegetable broth and both kinds of beans. Stir and bring to a low simmer. Remove the butternut squash from the oven, and carefully add the roasted chunks into the chili, stirring gently. Turn the heat down low, and allow the chili to simmer and thicken, stirring occasionally. About 10 minutes before you plan to serve, stir in the apple cider vinegar. Allow the acid to blend in and slightly cook off. Sprinkle sliced scallions on top and serve over rice.

** Note: be cautious when preparing butternut squash. First, slice off the stem and the bottom of the gourd. Then, cut the gourd in half, separating the neck from the bulbous bottom. Very carefully, stand each section upright so you have a flat surface to work with, and shave off the thick skin with a large, sharp knife. A vegetable peeler just won’t really do the trick here. As you begin to cut and peel the squash, you will notice a clear, sticky substance secreting from the flesh that tends to coat your hands and leave you with a weird, dry, crackly residue. Don’t be alarmed! This is just the natural starches in the vegetable oozing out as a defense mechanism. If the squash is damaged in such a way that the inner flesh is exposed, it will secrete this starch to repair the opening. Pretty amazing, isn’t it! In fact, zucchini does this too, except the starches are not as sticky and harsh on your skin. Once you’ve tackled the peeling part, it’s time to chop. Cut each portion of the squash in half length-wise, and scoop out the seeds from the bulbous part. Chop into largely diced pieces. You can roast the seeds separately too! They make for a great, healthy snack!