Black Bean Chili

Serves 4 | Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20-25 minutes

Cozy up to this Tex-Mex classic. The addition of roasted butternut squash adds a colorful, tasty and nutritious addition.

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
2 onions, diced
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 poblano chile, seeded and diced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon coriander, ground
1 tablespoon chile powder
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 canned chipotle in adobo
3 cans black beans, rinsed
Filtered water
To serves: sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, toasted pumpkin seeds, feta or good sour cream

Chef Tips

For a really fresh flavor I like to keep my spices whole and toast/grind them as needed. This goes for dried chiles too. Start roasting the squash first and the chile should be almost done before.

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Toss squash a little olive oil to coat and season with salt to taste. Lay out on even layer and roast until tender and golden brown. Alternatively, you could steam the squash.

Step 2

While the squash is roasting. Heat some olive oil (about 2 tablespoons) in a pot (I go for the Dutch oven here) over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, poblano and garlic; season with salt and stir to combine. Cover pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are translucent, soft, and starting to brown around the edges, 10–12 minutes. You’ll want to stir intermittently. Add cumin, coriander, chile powder and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste, chipotle in adobo and cook, stirring to coat vegetables, until paste darkens slightly, about 1 minute.

Add in black beans and pour in enough filtered water just to barley cover the beans. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the consistency of chili is there. Stir in the roasted squash. Serve along side green onions, cilantro, toasted pumpkin seeds and feta (or sour cream).