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Butternut Squash Chili with Beef

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
10
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Butternut squash, black beans, and ground beef star in this flavor packed Butternut Squash Chili with Beef. This isn’t your typical chili!

PIN IT FOR LATER!

Give me butternut squash all fall and winter long! Want some more butternut squash recipes? Try this Butternut Squash Pasta or this Stuffed Butternut Squash.

Bowl of butternut squash chili with beef on a red cloth.

There is something about the changing of the seasons that makes me want to make chili weekly.

It may be the cooling weather. It may be the talk of football games.

And it may be because I eagerly await fall every year so that I can make this Butternut Squash Chili!

As much as I love a traditional bowl of chili, there is just something about this version with butternut squash that always gets me. It’s a little bit different, but still super comforting.

Serve it up with some homemade cornbread and you have the perfect chili to serve all fall and winter!

Bowl of chili made with butternut squash, beans, and ground beef.

Ingredients

  • Spices: I use a combination of chili powder, cumin, and oregano. It’s also really good with a little bit of cinnamon, if you are into that!
  • Oil: I like to use olive oil, but you could use a neutral cooking oil, as well.
  • Onion: The onion gives lots of flavor. Go for a white or a yellow onion.
  • Pepper: I usually add a green bell pepper, but you can use any color. You can even leave it out, but I love the flavor and texture it brings.
  • Ground Beef: I like to opt for a leaner ground beef so that I don’t have to worry about draining the fat.
  • Tomato Paste: This will give the chili some deep flavor.
  • Hot Sauce: Any hot sauce that you like will work here. If you want the chili on the mild end, you can add less, or add more for more spice.
  • Broth: I always use beef broth, but did say that it was also delicious with chicken broth.
  • Beans: My preference is black beans, but you can change this up and use pinto or another bean of your choice.
  • Tomatoes: You need one can of diced tomatoes. No need to drain them!
  • Cornmeal: The cornmeal is the secret ingredient to thicken up the chili. It doesn’t add a lot of flavor, but it does contribute to the texture.
  • Butternut Squash: The star of the show! You need one medium sized squash. Peel it and cube it into bite sized pieces.

How to Make Butternut Squash Chili

  1. Combine the spices, then add half of them to hot oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Cook for for 30 seconds to toast the spices, then add the onion and pepper and cook until soft.
  2. Add in the ground beef and the remainder of the spices. Cook until the beef is cooked through.
  3. Add in the tomato paste and cook it until it is fragrant. (This keeps it from tasting raw.) Add in the hot sauce, 2 cups of broth, the beans, the tomatoes, and the cornmeal. Add in the butternut squash, then if needed, more. of the broth.
  4. Cover the pot and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and let the chili cook for another 15 minutes. Check the squash, and continue to cook if it is not soft yet. Taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Tips and Tricks

I know that butternut squash is kind of a pain to cut up. I like to use a sharp knife, and if the skin is thin enough, a vegetable peeler. If the skin is thick, though, you’ll need to use a knife.

You can often find pre-cut butternut squash at the grocery store. It will be more expensive, and you’ll want to make sure it’s not dried out, but it’s a time saver if you don’t want to cut the squash yourself.

This chili is great as leftovers. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container. Reheat on the stove top. You can add in more broth to thin it out, if needed.

This chili will also freeze well.

Bowl of butternut squash chili with ground beef topped with sour cream.

More Chili Recipes

Crock Pot Chili 
Flatlander Chili
Buffalo Chicken Chili
White Chicken Chili
Pumpkin Chili
Ground Turkey Chili

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Bowl of butternut squash chili with ground beef topped with sour cream.

Butternut Squash Chili with Beef

5 from 10 votes
Author: Deborah Harroun
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
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Butternut squash, black beans, and ground beef star in this flavor packed Butternut Squash Chili with Beef. This isn’t your typical chili!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup diced bell pepper
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons hot sauce such as Frank’s Red Hot
  • 2-3 cups beef broth
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
  • 2 tablespoons cornmeal
  • 1 (2 – 2 1/2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2” cubes

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cumin and oregano.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add half of the spices and stir for 30 seconds. Add in the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
  • Add in the ground beef and the remaining spice mix. Cook, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until the beef is no longer pink. Add in the tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the hot sauce.
  • Add 2 cups of the beef broth, the black beans, diced tomatoes and cornmeal. Stir to combine, then add in the cubed butternut squash. If desired, add more beef broth to thin out the chili.
  • Cover the pot and cook on medium-low for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and cook an addition 15 minutes, or until the butternut squash is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe Notes:

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/6 of recipe, Calories: 372kcal (19%), Carbohydrates: 35g (12%), Protein: 25g (50%), Fat: 16g (25%), Saturated Fat: 4g (25%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 47mg (16%), Sodium: 627mg (27%), Fiber: 8g (33%), Sugar: 10g (11%)
Keywords: butternut squash chili, chili recipe

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Comments

  1. Susan says

    We thoroughly enjoyed this recipe. I typically use whatever ingredients I have on hand, so I made a few changes: instead of bell peppers, I used a couple of small cans of green chilies; I added a can of white beans with chilies in addition to the plain black beans; I used chicken broth and beef broth powder; and I also increased the liquid to 4 cups of broth since it was very thick. It turned out incredible! I will definitely keep this recipe in mind for the future.

    Reply

  2. Nicole Pezzola Leyden says

    5 stars
    I loved this recipe and it was a big hit with my chili loving family members. I had to improvise a few things and still was so delicious. Will work this one into the rotation in those cold winter months!

    Reply

  3. Nicole P Leyden says

    5 stars
    So delicious!! I used the ingredients I had which deviated from the recipes – cumin seeds instead of powder, white beans instead of black beans, chipolte hot sauce instead of regular and it was still so delicious. Who would have thought that butternut squash was so magical in chili. Thank you!!!

    Reply

  6. Virginia Roland says

    5 stars
    Just made this today – amazing!!! This is really great chili. I will definitely be making this again. I froze a bunch of butternut squash today so will have it on hand to add to the chili in the future. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

      • Lisa says

        5 stars
        So I made it with the chicken broth. It was AMAZINGLY delicious and is now on our menu once a week this fall. Our TJ’s sells pre-cubed butternut squash (I have to cut them smaller) making this meal even easier. So in love with this recipe. Thank you!!!

  9. Arlene says

    5 stars
    I just had this chili at a friend’s this afternoon. Not being a dpi y lady, she only used what they liked and put the spice containers out girl anyone who did. Really a good and satisfying recipe! Thanks, am making it tomorrow for family.

    Reply

  10. Sarah says

    5 stars
    I recently started food prepping and this was on my menu for the week. This has so much flavor–I love the butternut squash and beef combination. It’s filling while being healthy. I usually make the tried and true chili recipe, and was glad to change things. The only think I would do different next time is brown the meat separately. I purchased very lean meat but my chili was a little heavy on the oil–I realize this also enhances the flavor.

    Reply