Butternut Squash Turkey Chili

Today we’re making Butternut Squash Turkey Chili! It’s a great all-in-one pot meal that we love to have more frequently once the weather turns cold. You can make chili about a bazillion ways (even Instant Pot Chili), of course, but this is one of our favorites. And it doesn’t hurt that it’s really easy to make.

One of the first meals I learned to cook as a kid was chili. My dad taught me how to make it and we ate it frequently during the summers we spent with him. I think because it was a big batch of good, cheap, easy food. Now that I have my own family I have new found respect for cooking for 3 kids on a budget. I have found memories of making chili with my dad and I also remember that we always made nachos with the leftovers (YUM!). Some things never change.

One of the best things about making this Butternut Squash Turkey Chili is using the leftovers for nachos. Okay…sometimes I don’t even wait for the leftovers. Just grab a handful of tortilla chips to go along with your bowl of chili. It’s perfect for dipping! But whether it’s a stand-alone bowl of chili, chili with a few chips, or full-on chili nachos, one of the fun decisions you always face is what toppings should go with your chili?.  Some of our favorite chili toppings include cheese, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream. How about you…what are some of your favorite chili toppings? Let us know in the comments below.

This recipe is similar to the version my dad taught me (although we didn’t use squash). I guess that is why this was one of the first recipes we made on our blog years ago. However, we made it slightly differently and with ground beef. Now that beef is no longer an option for the whole family, I subbed in ground turkey. I really like how quick and easy the whole recipe is. Not to mention, healthy. Ease of preparation and the health factor are always big selling points in our busy family lifestyle. This is also something you can batch prep in bulk so that you have lots of leftovers so it really checks all the boxes in terms of things you look for when you’re trying to make your life a little easier.

You may have noticed we are big fans of butternut squash and make several different types of soup throughout the fall and winter like our Thai butternut or vegan butternut soup. Butternut squash is a really versatile vegetable that goes really well in soups.  Last year at the last couple farmer’s markets in our area, my favorite local farmer had a big sale on their winter squash in order to get rid of all of it for the several months of off season.  All winter squash for $1 each.  ONE DOLLAR A SQUASH.  I, of course, grabbed as many as I could carry and stuff in my bags and carefully walked to the cash register to pay.  Since so many of our soups are freezable and so is the puree, it was totally worth it! Plus, Butternut Squash Turkey Chili!

Butternut Squash Turkey Chili

Print Rate

Servings: 6

Calories: 236kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 small onion chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 jalapeno peppers chopped finely
• 1 green pepper chopped
• 1 medium butternut squash chopped
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T cumin
• 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 c chicken broth
• salt and pepper
• 15 oz canned kidney beans drained and rinsed

Instructions

• Brown the ground turkey in a soup pot.
• Drain any liquid.
• Add onion, garlic, both types of peppers, and season with salt and pepper.
• Saute 4-6 minutes.
• Add butternut squash, chili powder, cumin, and additional salt and pepper.
• Cook and stir for 2-3 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Simmer for 20 minutes or until squash cooked.
• Serve or top with your favorite toppings: cheese, avocado, cilantro, sour cream, etc.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 516mg | Potassium: 1161mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 13960IU | Vitamin C: 60.1mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 4.2mg

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