The secret ingredient to this delicious chili is butternut squash. It was an accidental finding, but it turns out that butternut squash is divine in chili!
This week at Costco, I purchased a package of peeled and cubed butternut squash. I’ve been using it all week but my favorite use was in the chili.
This recipe makes a lot of chili! I like to make a batch of this or any chili and freeze it for those nights when I don’t feel like preparing dinner. This chili was so good that my family ate it all week and there was nothing left to freeze. My husband even took it to work and asked for more for dinner. That is how I knew it was really good!
You can put your favorite toppings on this chili. Some of our favorites are diced avocado, shredded cabbage, sliced green onions or shredded cheese. We even had left over cauliflower that we crumbled over the top one night. That was even good!
2 pounds ground turkey
2 Tablespoons oil
1 green pepper, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup diced butternut squash
2 – 14 oz. cans black beans
2 – 26 oz. boxes diced tomatoes
2 Tablespoons chili powder *
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
In a large stock pot, heat the oil. Add the onion, green pepper and squash and saute for five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Simmer with the cover on the pot for two hours, stirring occasionally.
Serve with your favorite toppings. Once the chili is cooled, you can put it in freezer safe containers and freeze the chili for later use.
* If you like really spicy chili – add more chili powder.
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‘boxes’ of diced tomatoes?? they come in a box??
I know – crazy! Yes, I bought boxes of tomatoes. I think they are supposed to be biodegradable or have some purpose that I’m not quite sure about:) Canned tomatoes would work just as well for this recipe. The brand of tomatoes that I purchased was Pomi and they were called Chopped Tomatoes.
thanks…i’ll have to look for some if not i’ll get some canned ones.
So we just dump the turkey in raw with the rest of the ingredients after sautéing the onions/peppers/squash? How do you crumble it up? I hate large chunks of ground turkey. Thanks!
Hi Arin,
You can use a wooden spoon to break it up. If you don’t like large chunks, you may want to saute the turkey first and break it up. Remove it from the pan and then do the veggies. When they are done you can add in the meat again. I try and do things in a So Simple, quick and easy way, and we don’t mind larger chunks. Hope that helps! Jen
Are there any gluten free brand canned tomatoes or, in general, are they gluten free?
Thanks!
Most canned tomatoes are gluten free. If you are concerned, check with the manufacturer.