Try this Butternut Squash Chili recipe or contribute your own.
- sea salt to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 lbs ground bison (or other ground meat of your choice)
- 2 tablespoons butter coconut oil lard, or ghee (i used butter)
- 1 small butternut squash peeled and cut into small cubes (about 6 cups of cubed squash – use more or less if you like)
- 4 celery stalks diced
- 2-3 tablespoons italian seasoning
- 2-3 teaspoons dried red chili flakes
- 18 ounces of diced or crushed tomatoes (about 2 cups) – (i p
- Carbohydrate 20.8147595056546 g
- Cholesterol 1840 mg
- Fat 371.304936002847 g
- Fiber 5.28970508309104 g
- Protein 460.331093502276 g
- Saturated Fat 105.957579666863 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (4157g)
- Sodium 2016.88738335481 mg
- Sugar 15.5250544225636 g
- Trans Fat 31.6902171671033 g
- Calories 5381 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large soup pot, melt the butter or other fat of your choice over medium heat.
- Add the onions and saute until translucent.
- Add your ground meat and cook just until browned.
- Add the minced garlic, cubed butternut squash, and celery and mix well.
- Add all the spices except for the bay leaf and mix well.
- Add the chicken broth and tomatoes and stir, bring to a simmer and add the bay leaf.
- Turn down to low and let simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Adding dense vegetables and lean ground meat to a pot simultaneously guarantees uneven cooking. Sautéing the diced yellow onion until translucent first builds a flavorful fond on the bottom of the pot, while browning the ground bison separately prevents the meat from steaming inside trapped liquid. Uniformity matters greatly here; cutting the butternut squash into even half-inch cubes ensures that every piece reaches a fork-tender consistency within twenty-five to thirty minutes rather than disintegrating into puree.
Starch management dictates the final mouthfeel of the dish. Simmering the cubed squash directly in the chicken broth and tomatoes hydrates the flesh without washing away its natural structure, preserving a firm bite that contrasts against the tender, crumbled meat. Adding dried spices such as cumin, chili powder, and Italian seasoning directly to the fat before pouring in the liquids blooms the fat-soluble compounds, deepening the overall flavor profile significantly.
Substitutions alter the cooking dynamics subtly. Swapping butter for coconut oil or lard changes the smoke point slightly, though medium heat prevents scorching regardless of the fat chosen. Adjusting the red chili flakes allows precise control over the heat level without altering the moisture balance of the pot.
