It’s finally September on the homestead! Month of the famed harvest moon, and month of the last of the summer garden harvests. There’s been a definite chill to the evening air, an increase in wet, misty weather, and a noticeable shortening of daylight. To ease the end of Summer mourning, I’ve jumped straight into cozy mode- using the fresh late season squash, tomatoes and peppers from the garden to throw together this quick and easy chili that is as good for the soul as it is for the taste buds. The butternut squash adds a creamy sweet note to this classic chili.

Hearty Homestead Butternut Squash Chili

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 - 40 minutes
Servings: 8- 10

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced in ½ inch cubes

1 large onion, diced

2 green bell peppers, chopped

6 medium tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups pinto beans, rinsed and soaked (or one 28 ounce can, drained)

1 cup tomato sauce

2 cups water

1tbsp olive oil

Seasonings:

1 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp beef bouillon powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp oregano

Toppings:

Shredded cheese

Sour cream or plain Greek yoghurt

Diced green onions

Recipe Notes:

Tastes best when cooked in a nice cast iron pot! ♥ You can switch up the ground beef for ground turkey, too. This is a mild chili- to spice up, adjust the seasonings to your preference, and add chipotle peppers, or red pepper flakes.

Instructions

1.      Sautee all diced vegetables with the olive oil in a large pot or cast iron Dutch oven on medium heat, approximately 10 minutes.

2.       Add ground beef, use a spoon to break up the beef into small pieces as it cooks. Cook until beef is browned.

3.      Stir in water, tomato sauce, and all seasonings and spices. Add beans. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer, cook for 20- 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

Adjust the seasonings to taste, as well as the water- if it seems too dry, add more, if you’d like less liquid, simmer the chili a little longer without the lid on the pot.

4.      Serve on a chilly fall evening with fresh bread on the side.

Keep leftover chili covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days.