Happy Monday! I haven’t been cooking much in the last week because my dad has been helping us with our recent kitchen mini-renovation. This weekend after finishing up the project, I was happy to get back to spending some time in the kitchen. I had most of the afternoon to cook, and I thought it would be a good day for chili. A few weeks ago, I made butternut squash chili that ended up tasting delicious. Although I’m always open-minded enough to try new recipes, I also enjoy crafting a go-to recipe to perfection. I  decided to give the butternut squash chili another attempt and was again satisfied with how the recipe turned out. I was able to be productive around the house while also keeping my eye on the stove, but I’m sure it would work well in a slow cooker as an easy meal during the week. In comparison to a traditional hot and spicy chili, this recipe is much more mild, rich and sweet. I’m beginning to think I may prefer this chili recipe over the traditional kind (at least during the fall)!

Butternut Squash Turkey Chili

• Servings: 4-6
• Time: 1hr 30mins
• Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 lb Lean Turkey Chop Meat
28oz Tomato Sauce (unsalted)
16oz Frozen Butternut Squash (in cubes)
15.5oz Can of Black Beans, rinsed
8oz Frozen Corn Kernels
3 Bell Peppers, chopped
1 Small Onion, chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 TBSP Tomato Paste
1.5 TBSP Chili Powder
1 TBSP Corn Starch (optional)
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Oregano
1/4 Tsp Black

Directions

• Brown turkey chop meat in Dutch oven (or a medium/large pot) over medium heat.
  
• If you turkey renders a lot of fat, you should drain it now.
  
• Add chopped onions and garlic cooking for about 10 minutes.
  
• Add bell peppers (I prefer using red, yellow and orange peppers) and cook for 10-15 minutes then add dry seasonings (except corn starch).
  
• Once the veggies are softened and the mixture is well coated in seasonings, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and corn starch (which helps with thickening). You could also use diced tomatoes instead of sauce.
  
• Bring to a boil then simmer for 30-60 minutes (depending on your stove you may want to switch you pot to a smaller burner to control the heat over a longer period of time).
  
• Bring back to medium/low heat and add the black beans, frozen corn and butternut squash and cook for about 15-20 minutes. I find if you add these three ingredients too early, they will get mushy.
  
• Taste before serving and add additional salt or other seasonings, if needed.
  

I really love my Le Creuset Dutch Oven. It is definitely an item that I consider to be a bit of a splurge, but it has become a staple in my kitchen. It is very versatile, so I honestly find myself getting a ton of use out of it. In the three months I’ve had it, I have used it to cook chili, sauce, chicken pot pie, soups and stew. It has been really easy to clean, but I do make an extra effort to follow the manufacture cleaning instructions to keep it in tip-top shape.

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