Butternut Squash & Lentil Chili

This butternut squash & lentil chili is going to blow your minds.

Just think of a delicious butternut squash-infused broth filled with lentils, chickpeas, ground turkey (with a little kick), and chunks of freshly roasted butternut squash! It’s basically the  perfect fall meal, and a twist on one of my favorite classics, red tomato chili.

In fact, I wish I had more photos to show you guys how truly incredible this chili is but I actually made this for a dinner party and had about 10 minutes to snap photos before everyone arrived. But this chili was too delicious NOT to share with you guys! So I hope you’ll forgive the lack of photos and just take my word for it. You NEED to make this ASAP!

PS. Come back later this week for an amazing recipe for another twist one of my (and everyone’s) favorites, cinnamon rolls!

Butternut Squash & Lentil Chili

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour 20 mins

Total time

1 hour 35 mins

 

Author: The Blonde Chef

Serves: 8-10 servings

What You'll Need

• 2 butternut squash, quartered and de-seeded
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 cup lentils (rinsed)
• 2 onions (1 quartered and 1 diced)
• 64 oz. chicken broth
• 1 tbs. coconut oil
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 14 oz. ground turkey
• 1 tbs. chili oil (optional)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• ¼ cup Pumpkin Seeds (I used a seasoned version from Trader Joe's)

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400
2. Place the quartered butternut squash along with the quartered onion onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets and place in the oven to roast for about 30-40 minutes (I seasoned mine with salt and pepper and brushed on a bit of coconut oil to aid in the roasting process).
3. Once the squash is roasted, allow to cool for about 20 minutes before scraping the meat of 6 of the butternut squash quarters (reserving the last two for later) into a food processor (feel free to do this in 2 batches if your food processor isn't big enough).
4. Add the roasted onion, 3 cloves of garlic, and half of the chicken broth.
5. Blend until very smooth.
6. In a large pot, add the diced onion and 1 tbs of coconut oil and cook over a medium heat until the onion is translucent.
7. Add the ground turkey along with the chili oil and using a wooden spoon, separate the chunks of turkey to ensure even browning.
8. Once the turkey is browned add the butternut squash puree along with the chicken broth, the remaining butternut squash (cubed ) chickpeas, kidney beans and lentils.
9. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes.
10. Season with salt and pepper according to taste and serve with a drizzle of chili oil and pumpkin seeds as a garnish.

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