Vegan Butternut Squash Chili

This vegan butternut squash chili was a huge hit in my home last night. With hungry young athletes and the crips autumn air, it was the perfect dinner to serve last night.

The recipe is super simple, healthy and made in the crockpot which is great if some family members have to eat at different times. This recipe made enough for 8 servings. So if you are a family of four or smaller you can freeze the extras for additional dinners for the following weeks or month.

Ingredients:

Trader Joe's Beef-less ground beef

3 cups of butternut squash cubed

1 can of corn ( we like sweet or shoepeg)

2 cans of red kidney beans (no salt added)

2 cans of black beans (no salt added)

2 cups of water

1 cup of diced tomatoes (no salt added)

1 can of tomato paste

1 fresh jalapeño diced

Chili Seasoning:

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 tsp of turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like it spicier)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp of sea salt

1/4 tsp of ground pepper

Directions:

Drain all canned items, except the diced tomatoes. I add the diced tomatoes, 2 cups of water, spices and tomato paste together first to the crock pot & whisk them together. Then I add all the other ingredients and cook on high for two hours, then to low until we serve the chili (typically 4 hours later, if longer then you will want to switch the crockpot to warm so nothing burns)

I did not add any cheese to this and the kids didn't ask which shocked me. They love using tortilla chips to dip in the chili as well, let's be real so do I.

If you are limited on time or are away from home all day, then here are two other options. You can microwave the butternut squash for 11 minutes and then add to the chili mixture in the crockpot and cook for 90 minutes on high, then serve. You can also make this dinner as soon as you get home from work, then an hour before you go to bed remove it from the crockpot, let it cool & then store it in the fridge for tomorrow nights dinner.

I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did!

Here is what the Trader Joe's Beef-Less ground beef looks like and can be found in the refrigerator section at their store.