Looking for a cozy chili recipe with a twist? This Butternut Squash Chili combines ground beef, black beans, and tender butternut squash in a hearty, flavor-packed meal that’s perfect for a chilly night.
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.
This Butternut Squash Chili is a hearty twist on classic beef chili, made with ground beef, black beans, tomatoes, and fresh butternut squash. The squash adds a subtle sweetness that pairs perfectly with the savory chili spices, making this an especially cozy dinner for fall and winter.
If you love a traditional bowl of chili but want to try something different, this recipe is a great one to add to your dinner rotation. It’s made in one pot, is packed with flavor, and makes a hearty meal that’s even better the next day.
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.
Serve it up with some homemade cornbread and you have the perfect chili to serve all fall and winter!
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 others did say that it was also delicious with chicken broth or even vegetable 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: You’ll need about a 2 to 2 1/2 pound butternut squash. Peel, seed, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes so that the squash becomes tender while still holding its shape in the chili.
How to Make Butternut Squash Chili
STEP 1: Combine the spices. Mix them well, because you won’t be adding them all at the same time.
STEP 2: Add half of the spice mixture to hot oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Cook for 30 seconds to toast the spices, then add the onion and pepper and cook until soft.
STEP 3: Add in the ground beef and the remainder of the spices. Cook until the beef is cooked through.
STEP 4: 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.
STEP 5: Stir in the butternut squash. If needed, add more broth until your chili is at your desired consistency.
STEP 6: 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.
More Easy Chili Recipes
If you love a cozy bowl of chili, here are a few more easy chili recipes to try:
Crock Pot Chili
Flatlander Chili
Buffalo Chicken Chili
White Chicken Chili
Pumpkin Chili
Ground Turkey Chili
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Butternut Squash Chili with Beef
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 (15 oz) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 (14.5 oz) can 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.1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cumin powder, 2 teaspoons dried 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.3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup diced onion, 1 cup diced bell pepper
- 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.1 lb ground beef, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 2 tablespoons 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.2-3 cups beef broth, 1 (15 oz) can black beans, 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons cornmeal, 1 (2 – 2 1/2 lb) butternut squash
- 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.
Ruby says
I am preparing to make this recipe, but only have sweet potatoes on hand. besides increasing carbs, is there anything else to beware of? perhaps eliminate corn meal or lessen?
Deborah says
Hi Ruby – you should be able to just swap them in without any other changes. Let me know how it turns out!
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.
Deborah says
I love your substitutions – I’m so glad you loved it!
Nicole Pezzola Leyden says
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!
Nicole P Leyden says
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!!!
Allie says
This is my favorite chili recipe! Does it freeze well? Thank you!
Jessica says
I made your chili for dinner tonight and it was delicious!
Deborah says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Virginia Roland says
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!
Lisa says
Could I sub out chicken broth for beef broth or would that be a totally different taste? It’s all I have…
Deborah says
You could definitely sub it out. It would change the flavor a bit, but I think it would still be totally ok. 🙂
Lisa says
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!!!
Virginia Roland says
I used vegetable broth since that is all I had and it was great!
jodeen says
Absolutely delishious!
Arlene says
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.
Sarah says
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.
Deborah says
I’m so glad you liked it!!
Joanne says
Well, this is definitely a winner in my book! Love the sweet paired with the spicy in this.
Linda | Brunch with Joy says
This is already an award winning chili for me! Love the combo and color, plus it’s so perfect during cold weather, too. Yum!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
This chili looks so good…totally award wining in my book! And I’m so turkey-ed out at this point, that a big bowl of beef chili is just what I need.
Chels R. says
This sounds really good. I’m going to have to try this one out! To bad about the contest :/
Teresa says
This looks wonderful. I wouldn’t mind a bite right now! 🙂