Roasted Butternut Squash Chili is the perfect vegetarian, one-pot meal for cooler weather. As delicious as it is pretty, it’s full of warming spices and hearty vegetables, and is a true bowl of comfort.
Inspiration for Butternut Squash Chili
I think fall is my favorite cooking season; it is all about cozy one-pot meals, warming spices, and slower cooking — things that make the house smell wonderful! There’s nothing like the scent of fresh herbs and spices wafting through the house.
This is one of my most popular recipes for a reason — among both vegetarians and everyone else!
I’m thinking this Roasted Butternut Squash Vegetarian Chili is a perfect comfort food for a weekend night with friends, family, and a fire in the fireplace!
How about with some sweet cornbread? Maybe a lovely salad, and a bottle of wine?
Or you can make a double batch of this chili over the weekend and serve it up all week!
People sometimes have the misconception that if certain meals are lacking meat, they will be less filling and hearty. Not true.
Take this butternut squash vegetarian chili, for example — the subtly sweet chunks of squash are filling and hearty, and are absolutely divine with the other beautiful ingredients in this recipe.
How to Make Butternut Squash Chili
You can make this recipe in just under an hour. Here’s how to make it, in a nutshell . . .
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Roast the peppers.
- Roast the squash.
- Cook the onion with raw jalapeños, along with the chipotles, cumin, and chili powder.
- Deglaze with wine and reduce it.
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Mix in the tomatoes, corn, beans, and the roasted butternut squash. Cook a bit, then add the
the oregano and season.
(More detailed instructions are below.)
Recipe Tips
- You can save time by buying jarred or canned roasted peppers.
- This only gets better with time, so you can make it up to a few days ahead of time.
- I always love serving chili with a lot of toppings in pretty bowls. It makes for such a pretty presentation, and it’s fun.
What to serve with Butternut Squash Chili:
- Fried Meyer Lemon Caesar Salad
- Heirloom Apple Salad
- Skillet Jalapeño Cornbread {Gluten-Free}
- Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad
Enjoy every last bite!
The perfect one-pot meal for cooler weather, this chili is as delicious as it is pretty. It's full of warming spices and hearty vegetables, and is a true bowl of comfort.
- 4 small jalapeño peppers, roasted
- 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into approximately 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in their juices
- 4 ears fresh corn, kernels cut off the cob
- 1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans
- 1 (15-ounce) can white kidney beans
- 1½ tablespoons fresh oregano washed and dried, finely chopped
- olive oil
- salt and brown sugar to taste
- ⅓ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- ⅓ cup avocado, diced
- ⅓ cup red onion, diced
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Roast the jalapeño peppers: Preheat the broiler. Cut each one in half and remove all of the seeds. Place the peppers round side up on a foil-lined baking sheet and put it directly under the broiler until the skin is fairly evenly charred, just for a minute or so. Remove from the broiler and then wrap them in the foil you broiled them on, leaving at least a few inches of air inside. Let them steam this way for about 5 minutes. Use your hands or the dull side of a paring knife to remove the skin. Finely chop the peeled peppers and set aside two tablespoons of them to add to the chili.
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Preheat the oven to 475°F and line a baking sheet with foil.
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Roast the squash: Add the cut butternut squash to the foil and drizzle it generously with olive oil. Then sprinkle with the brown sugar and cinnamon and toss to evenly coat all of the squash. Place in the preheated oven until the squash becomes golden brown, about 10 minutes per side.
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Cook the onion and garlic: While the squash is roasting, coat the bottom of a large stock pot or Dutch oven with olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and over medium heat, cook until the onion begins to brown, about 4 minutes.
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Add in the 2 tablespoons of the finely chopped jalapeños, along with the chipotles, cumin, and chili powder. Cook until it becomes very aromatic, about 1 minute.
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Deglaze the pan: Then turn the heat to low and deglaze the pan with the wine.
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Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook until the wine is reduced by about half, about 4 minutes.
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Add the tomatoes, corn, all of the beans, and the roasted butternut squash. Lower the heat a bit and simmer for about 10 minutes to blend all of the flavors.
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Season: Add the oregano and season to taste with salt and brown sugar.
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Serve with cheddar cheese, red onion, and avocado.
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Jessi @ Quirky Cookery says
Ooo, now that looks scrumptious. It doesn’t look like chili, but the ingredients are obviously there for it. I could see myself actually eating this with tortilla chips even, as a chunky dip. On that note, it could be good with sour cream, too, yum.
Madison Chloe says
I am so tickled about the upcoming fall, well it’s up coming here, it doesn’t exactly feel fall like (note not to buy pumpkins too early in the season, it tasted like.. um, the earth) that said, this dish looks delish, you used some of my fav ingredients.
Carrie says
This looks wonderful. Such bright and vibrant colors! I’m totally with you on the one-pot meals – they’re one of my favorite things about this time of year, so I’m always looking for new ones. Pretty sure I could eat this one every day 🙂
valentina says
Thanks, Carrie! Hope you enjoy eating these beautiful colors! 😉
sippitysup says
The cool weather has not really hit my house yet, but I agree autumn in Los Angeles can’t be beat. GREG
Paula says
This looks beautiful — and sounds delicious. Definitely worth giving this a try! Thanks so much! 🙂
Naina @ chow bella says
This looks delicious!
Sarah says
How much corn do you use?
valentina says
Sarah, thanks so much for pointing that out! I just added the corn measurements to the recipe — it’s corn kernels from 4 ears of fresh corn. Enjoy! 🙂
Ettitude says
Hello, love this recipe! We’ve actually included it in our post about Meatless Monday and vegetarian recipes. If you’d like to take a look, the article is here: http://www.community.ettitude.com.au/10-eat-meat/
Whitney says
I made this and it was delicious! I added more cinnamon to the chili while it was cooking amd topped it off with more brown sugar to get the kids to eat it!
valentina says
Whitney, this is one of my favorite recipes for fall. I’m so happy you tried it and liked it! Thank you for hanging out on Cooking On The Weekends! 🙂
meghna says
I cooked this today – and it might have been the best thing I ever cooked! Such an awesome recipe! Yay! Thank you for sharing it!
I like very spicy food, and so I did add a lot more chipotle peppers than the recipe calls for – and swapped the brown sugar for maple syrup.
valentina says
Meghna, thank you for sharing with me! I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, and the extra heat sounds delicious! 🙂
Rob says
Can I do this in a crock pot?
valentina says
Hey Rob, I haven’t tried it in a crock pot, but I think it would work well. 🙂