I love fall and I love chili and the two go hand in hand! A dear friend of mine recently gave me an abundance of butternut squash so with squash as my inspiration, this afternoon I threw together some scrumptious chili using the butternut squash and ground bison that I happened to have on hand. Of course you can use whatever ground meat you want, or cubed steak, or even chicken. This recipe is similar to the Everyday Paleo Chili recipe in my first book, Everyday Paleo with just a few minor tweaks.
Here’s the recipe – super easy and delicious!!
Butternut Squash Chili
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground bison or other ground meat of your choice
- 2 tablespoons butter coconut oil, lard, or ghee (I used butter)
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small butternut squash peeled and cut into small cubes (about 6 cups of cubed squash – use more or less if you like)
- 4 celery stalks diced
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2-3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2-3 teaspoons dried red chili flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 18 ounces of diced or crushed tomatoes about 2 cups – (I purchase my diced and crushed tomatoes from Tropical Traditions)
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
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In a large soup pot, melt the butter or other fat of your choice over medium heat.
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Add the onions and saute until translucent.
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Add your ground meat and cook just until browned.
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Add the minced garlic, cubed butternut squash, and celery and mix well.
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Add all the spices except for the bay leaf and mix well.
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Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and stir, bring to a simmer and add the bay leaf.
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Turn down to low and let simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
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Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
This looks great. Have you ever tried cooking it in an InstantPot?
No I haven’t but I’m sure it will be fantastic! : )