COZY WINTER BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHILI

I am finally back this year and boy it feels like January took forever. We experienced our first snow storm and we were “snowed” in for about a week and a half. I am thankful we were not in the camper and even more grateful that now I have my cottage kitchen that I can cook in.

There is nothing I love more in the winter than a nice warm and cozy meal at the end of a cold day. And today I am sharing a dish that is rich and warm and savory and just a perfect blend to bring a family together at the end of the day. 

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This is also a one pot meal which makes it even better. For this I will be using dutch oven. My parents gifted me this one for our cottage and I just love using it regularly. 

I have always struggled with not letting my dutch ovens chip at the rim and I recently found these lid lifters that protect the lid from the pot, especially when storing and stacking other pots on top and these are just a game changer. 

You can watch the video to this recipe at the end of this blog post. 

For this chili I will be using pork sausage. We get our sausage from a local farm and this sausage has such great flavor and seasonings that it brings a lot to this dish without needing to add much herbs. I start by sautéing it in the pot. 

Next I chop a medium yellow onion. 

I minced 8 garlic cloves (Yes 8, especially if they are small. You can use less if you want.)

For this I also use 4 carrots chopped into half inch coins. 

I also chop 4 celery stalks and even like to include some of the leaves from the celery. I believe they add a lot of flavor. 

Then of course there is the star of the show which is the butternut squash. I peel it and chop it up into bite sized pieces. 

Once everything is chopped up, the sausage is fully cooked and I then add the onion and garlic.  I sauté it for 4-5 minutes. 

Then I add in the celery and carrots and 1 tsp of thyme, then I let them sauté for another 10 minutes. 

Next I add one can of clean and drained white northern beans. 

And then add the butternut squash along with 6 cups of water and a cube of chicken bouillon. I let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes. 

Afterwards, I add 3/4 of a cup of half and half. And then I make sure to season with salt and pepper to taste at this point. 

Finally I add about 4 handfuls of baby spinach. 

I let it cook for about another 10-15 minutes to let the flavors combine. 

Finally it’s time to serve and enjoy. I personally like to enjoy this with my homemade buttermilk biscuits. 

The sausage adds this sweet & savory heat, the vegetables bring depth and the butternut squash adds a sweet soft texture. It’s a perfect blend of flavors and it’s so warm. 

You can always substitute the pork sausage with another type of meat, but at that point I would add more seasonings since ground beef, deer or even turkey aren’t usually seasoned liked pork sausage is. I guess you can even use an Italian sausage as well for this, but it will give it a little bit of a different flavor. 

Our family really enjoys this and I hope yours does too.

Enjoy the video of this chili along with a homemade buttermilk biscuit recipe below: 

 

Share this with anyone who might enjoy!

Until then.. adios!