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Overhead photo of Butternut Squash & Turkey Chili in a white bowl.
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5 from 10 votes

Butternut Squash and Turkey Chili

This Butternut Squash and Turkey Chili recipe is comforting, nutritious, and downright delicious! Packed with wholesome ingredients and bursting with flavor, it's the perfect dish to warm your soul on a cold night.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, TexMex
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Calorie
Servings: 8
Calories: 318kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 lb. 93% lean ground turkey
  • 1 teaspoon chipotles in adobo, seeded and chopped*
  • 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice (optional)
  • 1 medium butternut squash peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 ½ cups, 20 oz)
  • 2 (15 oz) cans low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 (14.5 oz) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ cup cilantro, chopped plus extra for garnish

Optional toppings:

  • shredded cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, sliced scallions, diced avocado

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or wide-based pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook 4-5 minutes until partially softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Add the ground turkey and brown it, breaking it into pieces. Season the mixture with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Stir in the chipotles, adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, and allspice.
  • Add the butternut squash, beans, tomatoes, broth, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook 10 minutes, then uncover the pot and cook another 15-20 minutes until chili is thickened and squash is cooked through. Stir in the cilantro.
  • Garnish chili with cilantro. Serve with any desired toppings.

Notes

*Chipotles in adobo are canned, smoked jalapeño peppers and add a delicious smoky heat to dishes. If you don’t have them, you can substitute chili powder.
  • You can buy pre-cut butternut squash from the grocery store to save time rather than peeling and cutting up a whole squash.
  • Use "reduced sodium," "low sodium" or "no salt added" black beans and chicken broth to control the sodium in this butternut squash and black bean chili. Be sure to drain the beans and rinse them under running water to reduce the sodium even more.
  • Use canned fire roasted tomatoes to add extra smokiness to the chili.
  • You can easily make this a vegetarian chili by leaving out the ground turkey and substituting vegetable broth for chicken broth.  You can add other ingredients to the chili like leafy greens, chickpeas or lentils.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 portion | Calories: 318kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 858mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 8504IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 5mg