This Butternut Squash Chili with Beef is the perfect easy Fall chili. Naturally gluten free and Whole30 compliant, you will want to make a double batch to stock your freezer!
Originally Posted: October 16th, 2014 | Updated: October 15th, 2018
Beef Chili is a rite of passage in our house. A predictable way to mark the beginning of Fall and really start to embrace it. You know I fight that transition and hang on to every last bit of summer for as long as possible, but there comes a time (hello reality) when I must accept that cooler weather is here to stay.
For me, chili is a “Fall” food and just reminds me of wearing sweatshirts, falling leaves and crisp air. It is the perfect bowl of warm goodness to help brush off the slight chill that comes with this time of year.
Beef chili is my go-to and since we don’t eat very many beans these days, I have been looking for a bean replacement that would give my chili texture and bulk but not water it down like so many vegetables have a tendency to do.
A couple of weeks ago, my friend Rachelle shared a recipe she frequently makes for a beef chili with butternut squash from Bon Appetit. While this Butternut Squash Chili recipe is based off my Everyday Beef and Bean Chili and not directly related to the one Rachelle posted, it was her post that inspired me to start adding the butternut squash and playing with the flavor.
Thanks Rachelle because the butternut squash is the answer! It balances out the heat, adds just the right amount of bulk and texture and doesn’t water down the chili at all.
Because it’s important to me that this is a relatively quick dish to make, I highly recommend picking up a bag or two of frozen, cubed, organic butternut squash. This will save you a lot of time and make this a do-able weeknight dinner.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
This Butternut Squash Chili with Beef is the perfect easy Fall chili. Naturally gluten free and Whole30 compliant, you will want to make a double batch to stock your freezer!
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 5 medium cloves garlic chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 medium celery stalks chopped
- 1 small jalapeno chopped
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- 3.5 Tablespoons Mexican chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)
- 1 green bell pepper ribs removed, cut into 1/4" pieces
- 1 pound frozen cubed butternut squash
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If you have a food processor, use it to save time. Place peeled garlic cloves and quartered onion in bowl of food processor fitted with the chopping blade. Pulse until chopped.
Remove from processor bowl and add roughly chopped celery and jalapeno. Process until chopped.
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Clean bell pepper and cut in half. Remove ribs and seeds and cut into 1/4" pieces.
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Measure and combine spices in a small bowl (chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes and bay leaves).
If not using frozen, cubed squash, peel squash and cube until you have 1 lb.
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!COOK:
Heat a large soup pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add oil. Add in chopped garlic, onion, celery and jalapeno. Saute until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 to 4 minutes.
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Add in ground beef and use a wooden spoon or spatula to break up into pieces. Saute until meat is browned and cooked through (If you are using extremely fatty meat, you may want to drain the meat and veg mixture to remove some of the grease and return to pot).
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Next add in spices and stir to coat meat. Continue cooking for approximately one minute, stirring constantly, until spices are fragrant.
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Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.
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Once boiling, add chopped bell pepper and cubed squash. Partially cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes. If you are using fresh butternut squash, you may need to cook a touch longer until it's tender.
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Remove bay leaves and discard. Remove from heat and adjust salt if necessary. Serve warm with your favorite toppings (shredded cheese, sour cream or plain yogurt, red onion, scallions, avocado, cilantro, etc.) and Enjoy!
- Tip: When buying organic celery, it is usually priced per pound. You do not have to buy the whole cluster. You can just pull off two or three pieces and buy what you need for a recipe (as long as it is not pre-packaged). My mom hipped me to this - what a money saver!
- To save time, I used frozen, cubed, organic Butternut Squash from Whole Foods.
- As for spiciness, if you want this Chili MILD, omit the jalapeno, only use 3 tablespoons of chili powder and 1/8 teaspoon of the crushed red pepper flakes. If you want it MEDIUM, keep the jalapeno but don’t use the ribs or seeds. If you want it SPICY, use the whole jalapeno including seeds and ribs.
- If you think the ingredient amounts look large in my pictures, your eyes are not deceiving you. I was making a double batch (one for the freezer!) in these photos!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this for our family. We’re never disappointed. We try to substitute ground bison whenever it’s on sale. By far the best chili recipe ever!! It’s great to have a delicious, hearty chili recipe that doesn’t leave you with heartburn.
Thank you SO much Lisa!! I sooo appreciate you taking the time to comment and let me know! 🙂
I will be enjoying this all fall long!
Yay!! so glad to hear it 🙂
Alyssa have you tried adapting this to the Instant Pot? I’m thinking do it all on saute (without bringing to a boil), then cooking on high pressure MANUAL for 15 minutes. Thanks!
I have! I just reduce or omit the broth 🙂
Have you tried to make this in a crockpot/slow cooker?
Hi Amye! Yes, I have. I recommend browning the onion mixture as well as beef and spices and then transferring to the slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT 1 cup broth. Omit this for the slow cooker. Set to low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
Made this recipe and we loved it. Will definitely make it again. Do you have the calories for this recipe.
Hi Rosemary! Glad you loved it 🙂 I am actually working on nutrition info labels for every recipe but they are not ready yet. In the meantime, you can use the free account for MyFitnessPal to calculate nutrition for any recipe by pasting a link.
This is the second recipe I made from this site today. Delicious! Just enough spice without having to call the fire department. A great alternative, other than soup, to use up all the butternut squash I have.
Hi Linda! So glad you are enjoying this Chili and thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!
This was so good! We still wanted beans, so I added a can of low-sodium black beans (drained and rinsed). It turned out really good and is just as good reheated. We will be trying with sweet potatoes next I think. Thanks!
Hi Annie! I have subbed sweet potatoes and the taste is great but they tend to fall apart a bit more so the texture is a bit different. Glad you liked it!
Is tomato sauce or paste used in this recipe? The ingredient list says one but the directions say the other.
Thank you!
Hi Jana! It’s “tomato sauce” – sorry about the confusion. I’ll update it now. Thanks so much 🙂
Although I love beans in chili, I usually don’t want to add too many. We sometimes add squash, too! It works really well. So do sweet potatoes — really worth trying, if you haven’t. I love chili weather! And yours looks great — thanks.
I love chili weather too!
I made this just for me and a friend, cutting the down the quantities but still having good portions for greedy people 🙂 with plenty left over. It worked great and tasted really authentic even though I substituted what I had with a few additions, I used mixed fresh ready chopped squash and sweet potato (the only fresh option in the store in England) which was delicious and yes, did take a while longer to cook through.
So glad it worked out with the changed Penelope!
No, I have not, actually never even occurred to me, must try for sure now.
I love making and eating chili but have never made some with squash before! Definitely something that I need to add next time. Thanks for the idea!
It is surprisingly tasty and not in a “oh, there is squash in here way”. It’s just good Thalia!
Agree with Jeanette’s comment.
Butternut squash is one of my favorite squashes.
Have you ever tried squash in Chili Norma? If not, you have got to make this – so easy and really delish!
Great idea – substituting butternut squash for beans as an alternative!
I was surprised at well it worked and everyone in the family loves this version!
It looks great! This may be a silly question but do you need to defrost the squash before you add it?
Not silly at all Penelope! You do not have to defrost it, just toss it in. I’ll update the recipe instructions now. Thanks 🙂
I love the sweet and spicy pairings in this chili! So much great flavor in every bite!!
Thanks Joanne! 🙂