Spicy Turkey Chili with Butternut Squash

TURKEY CHILI WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Can you smell it? It’s chili season. In our household, we’re big chili eaters, but we prefer to use ground turkey, because hey, sometimes a girl just likes the flavor over ground beef, and you’re welcome!

This chili is actually a mix of our usually vegetarian butternut squash chili, and a meat based chili. You of course, don’t have to use turkey if you are vegetarian, or even vegan, you can easily substitute for chunky mushrooms, tofu or garbanzo beans. Actually that doesn’t sound half bad.

So get your large Fall weather cooking pots ready, and plan yourself a chili cook off for your family, because it’s down right delicious.

You have to have all the fixins! Sour cream, shredded cheddar, avocado, cilantro, and whatever else!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey (90% lean 10% fat)

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 1 green bell pepper, diced

• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 1, 14oz can diced tomatoes with juice

• 3-4 cups chicken broth, depending on how thick you prefer (start with 3)

• 1 medium butternut squash, chopped to small cubes, around 3 cups

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 teaspoon anchovy paste

• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

• 1/2 cup red wine, preferably a pinot noir

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 1 teaspoon garam marsala

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin

• 1 tablespoon chili powder

• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 packet taco seasoning mix

• 3 bay leaves

• 3 tablespoons masa harina powder to thicken chili base

• 1, 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1, 15oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 small an of green hatch chilis, chopped

• 1 can corn

• 1 adobo chipotle pepper, minced

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped for serving

• 1/2 cup cilantro for serving

• lime wedges, for serving

• sour cream, for serving

• shredded sharp cheddar, for serving

• blue corn chips, for serving

• avocado slices, for serving

Instructions

Sauté the onion and bell peppers in a few glugs of olive oil for 5-7 minutes, then add garlic for a few more.

Add in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and anchovy paste.

Add the butternut squash to cook for about 5 minutes.

Fold in the ground turkey to mix in well with the rest of the ingredients in the pot. Deglaze pot with the wine as well.

Add all seasonings and masa harina and mix well.

Next, add the broth and diced tomatoes.

Drop In the bay leaves to mix in, and add in the beans, corn and hatch chilis.

Bring to a simmer.

Continue to cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally , until the squash is tender.

Ladle the chili into soup bowls. Garnish each bowl with your toppings!