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This Butternut Squash Turkey Chili with Black Beans is a hearty, delicious and healthy Fall comfort food recipe. It is made with ground turkey and is a high protein satisfying meal.

Butternut Squash Turkey Chili in a bowl with cheese on top.

Chili season is the best season. This butternut squash and black bean chili is cozy comfort food in a bowl and a delicious way to incorporate butternut squash into your diet.

Butternut squash is a great source of vitamins A and C. It also brings a seasonal element of Fall to the chili. Give me all of this delicious and nutritious chili! If you also love butternut squash, try my Fall Harvest Salad or my Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup.

What makes this recipe great

  • It is a wonderful way to add butternut squash to your diet. Butternut squash is full of vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A and beta-carotene.
  • This recipe is high in protein, which helps keep you full. One serving of this chili has 29 grams of protein.
  • It is delicious and made with healthy ingredients.
  • It is kid friendly and a crowd pleaser.

Recipe ingredients

Ingredients needed to make butternut squash turkey chili.
  • Onion– fresh onion or shallots both work here.
  • Garlic– adds great flavor to the meat in this recipe.
  • Olive oil-extra virgin olive oil works or avocado oil as well.
  • Red pepper flakes– use this if you want extra heat in your recipe.
  • Bell pepper– you can use red, orange or yellow bell peppers here.
  • Ground turkey– I like using regular ground turkey but feel free to use lean ground turkey if you prefer.
  • Paprika– ground paprika adds a warmth to the recipe.
  • Chili powder– another spice that adds heat. Use more or less based on your taste.
  • Oregano– fresh or dried.
  • Cinnamon– this adds more of a Fall feel to the recipe.
  • Cumin– a classic chili recipe spice.
  • Tomato paste– adds a concentrated tomato taste.
  • Strained tomatoes and chopped tomatoes- adds the tomato base needed for this chili.
  • butternut squash ( either whole, or pre-cut )
    • I like buying bags of pre-cut butternut squash because it is easier and faster, but feel free to cut and cube a butternut squash yourself if you want to.
  • Black beans and kidney beans– I like using a variety of beans in my chili for texture and flavor.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Additions/ Substitutions

  • Instead of fresh onion and garlic, you can use onion powder and garlic powder. You can use about 1 teaspoon of each.
  • You can use green pepper instead of red bell pepper.
  • Instead of black beans or kidney beans, you can use white northern beans or pinto beans.

Step by step instructions

Red peppers in a pan.
Step 1

Step 1: Sauté the garlic, onion, and red pepper in a large pot.

If you are using onion powder and garlic powder instead of onion and garlic, only sauté the red pepper.

Ground turkey and spices added to the pan.
Step 2

Step 2: Add the ground turkey to the pan, along with the tomato paste, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, oregano, cinnamon and some of the chili powder.

Browned turkey with bell pepper.
Step 3

Step 3: Cook until the meat has browned.

Beans and butternut squash added to the pan.
Step 4

Step 4: Add the strained and chopped tomatoes, water, beans, cubed butternut squash, and more chili powder.

Tomato sauce added to the pan.
Step 5

Step 5: Cook and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until the butternut squash is tender but not mushy.

Turkey black bean butternut squash chili in a bowl with a spoon.
Step 6

Step 6: Serve and add toppings to your chili.

Expert Tips

  • To make sure your butternut squash is cooked, stab it with a knife while it is cooking to see if it has reached your preferred texture.
  • To make this with onion powder and garlic powder instead of fresh onion and garlic, skip the step where you sauté them in a pan and add the onion powder and garlic powder to the ground turkey in the pan.

How to serve it:

(1) Add toppings!

You can add LOTs of toppings to your chili…for example…

  • avocado
  • plantain chips
  • cheddar or vegan cheese
  • diced apples
  • hot sauce
  • sour cream

(2) Use the chili as a topping.

You can also serve your chili on top of other foods. This butternut squash and black bean chili is great to add on top of…

  • baked potatoes
  • scrambled eggs
  • nachos
  • rice

I like adding it to rice, along with peppers to give it a stuffed peppers vibe.

Butternut squash and black bean chili in two bowls.

How to store:

  • To store: put in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
  • To freeze: put in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
  • To reheat: reheat in the microwave or stovetop. If reheating from frozen, let the chili thaw in the fridge overnight first.

Recipe FAQs:

Can you make this with something besides turkey?

Yes! You can use ground beef, ground bison, or ground chicken. Really any sort of ground meat of your choice.

Is this recipe Gluten-free and Dairy-free?

Yup. It is naturally Gluten-free and Dairy-free.

Is this recipe Paleo?

No. Beans aren’t Paleo, and this recipe is made using canned beans. However you could omit them to keep this recipe Paleo. I would just add sweet potatoes or something to add more heartiness to the recipe.

Can you make this in a slow cooker?

Yes! Follow this recipe exactly up until the ground turkey is browned. Then put the turkey, along with all the rest of the ingredients into a slow cooker. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 7 hours.

Butternut squash chili with ground turkey in two bowls.

Other chili recipes you’ll love:

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

5 from 5 votes

Black Bean Butternut Squash Turkey Chili 

Servings: 8 people
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Butternut Squash Turkey Chili in a bowl with cheese on top.
A ground turkey butternut squash chili made with black beans and kidney beans, and seasoned with paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, and cumin.

Ingredients 

  • 1/2 of an onion , diced (or 1 tsp dried onion powder)
  • 4 cloves garlic, diced (or 1 tsp dried garlic powder)
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 3 teaspoons chili powder, divided
  • 3/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 3 cups strained tomatoes
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 cups diced butternut squash, cut into ¾ inch cubes
  • 2 14 ounce cans of black beans
  • 1 14 ounce can of kidney beans

Instructions 

  • Add diced garlic and onion to a large pot with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium heat. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the red pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes. [Note if you are using onion powder and garlic powder, add the powders to the ground turkey meat in the next step].
  • Then add the ground turkey to the pan, along with the tomato paste, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, oregano, cinnamon and 1 tsp chili powder. Break up the meat into smaller pieces using a spatula and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.
  • Add the strained and chopped tomatoes to the pan, along with the water, beans, butternut squash, and 2 tsp of chili powder. Mix and bring the chili to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer over low-medium heat for 25-30 minutes, or until the squash is tender but not too mushy. ( It will depend on how large you cut them)

Notes

  • Instead of fresh onion and garlic, you can use onion powder and garlic powder. You can use about 1 teaspoon of each.
  • You can use green pepper instead of red bell pepper.
  • Instead of black beans or kidney beans, you can use white northern beans or pinto beans.

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 29gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 515mgPotassium: 1316mgFiber: 16gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 6654IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 123mgIron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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