I saw a recipe in the Master’s Swimming magazine recently for a vegan pumpkin chili. I saved it with the intention of trying it, but before I even got to the grocery store I remembered that I don’t like pumpkin and I’m definitely not vegan. Long story short I appreciated the inspiration, I changed 90% of the recipe, and chili is awesome.

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper

1 small package sliced mushrooms

1 small onion

5 cloves garlic

2 ish tbsp chili powder

1 ish tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

Garlic, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste

I butternut squash, roasted (directions linked below)

1 can fire roasted tomatoes (I got ones with even more garlic in them 🤓)

1 lb ground beef

2 cups chicken broth

*optional: black beans

Directions:

Roast your butternut squash a la this recipe.

Sauté the garlic and onion in a little bit of olive oil. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Add 1 tbsp of chili powder. Add bell pepper and mushrooms, cook lightly and add second tbsp of chili powder and cumin.

Add fire roasted tomatoes, roasted squash and chicken broth. I opted to let it slow cook for a while, but technically once it’s all mixed, comes to a boil and cooks for a few minutes it is ready to go! I think all chili tastes better the second day, so consider planning ahead for this one and cook it the day before you really want it. And when you figure out how to do that, please let me know.

I happen to be sharing with one-who-shall-not-eat-beans, so I didn’t add beans this time, but it’s honestly quite good without them! The butternut squash adds a more filling element.

Enjoy, my hungry friends.

Originally posted November 15, 2022.