Week #26 into my CSA farm share (shout to Lancaster Fresh Farm Coop!) and you start to run out of ideas. While I was excited for the first squash of the season – a cute gold acorn squash, the endless peppers and onions were throwing me for a loop (even though I know I’ll be pining for them by next month.) I’ve made pumpkin chili before so I figured why not an acorn squash farmshare chili including those peppers and onions.
I routinely roast my bell and hot peppers – it’s an extra step but so worth it for the depth of flavor they give. And since I’m not super confident in my knife skills (a.k.a. hacking away at a thick skinned gourd), I opted to simply cut the squash in half, plop it in a greased baking pan and roast for 45 minutes. In hindsight, I should have scooped out the seeds before roasting (and then roasted them on their own like pumpkin seeds.) For the chili, I scooped out the squash flesh and because it was super soft, it pretty much “melted” into the chili. While I’m not really one for sneaking veggies into recipes, this is a GREAT way to get some extra nutrients like fiber, Vitamin C, potassium, Vitamin A, magnesium into a dish – especially for those who don’t think they like squash!
This is a super versatile chili – I used pinto beans but you could use any kind you like; kidney, black, cannellini or even chick peas. Next time, I’d love to add in some lean ground turkey or turkey sausage. And you could also throw in just about any veggie from your fall farmshare or farmer’s market trip. Next time, I may even try beets.
Ingredients
- 1 medium acorn squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large bell pepper, seeded, skinned and roasted
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded, skinned and roasted
- 1 (28 ounce) can of no-salt added diced tomatoes
- 2 (15 ounce) cans low sodium pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Shredded cheese
- Fresh cilantro
Directions
- Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Place cut sided down in a greased baking pan and roast for about 45 minutes (until soft) at 350 degrees F. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes. Remove soft flesh and mash in bowl. Set aside.
- In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another minute.
- Chop up roasted peppers and add to pot. Sauté another minute.
- Add squash, tomatoes, beans, chili powder and cumin. Stir well and cover; cook on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.
- Serve with dollop of plan Greek yogurt, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.
Notes
Let chili sit in refrigerator overnight for the flavors to meld together. It tastes even better as leftovers!
For lots of chili inspiration, check out Cooking Light’s Top Rated Chili Recipes (Now I’m itching to make the White Turkey Chili.)
I love acorn squash–it’s such a pleasant-tasting versatile little squash.
This looks like a fabulous way to use it!
I use to be butternut squash-only kind of gal but the acorn changed my mind