Easy Butternut Squash Chili With Turkey or Beef

This Easy Butternut Squash Chili recipe is made with red or black beans, turkey or ground beef, and homemade chili seasoning. Feel free to roast your squash for added flavor! Top the chili with sour cream, avocado, or crackers.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure here.

Butternut squash can typically be found in most grocery stores year-round, but many prefer to consume it throughout the fall. It’s the perfect nutrient-dense food to add to soups and chili.

How to Cut and Prepare the Squash

1. Start by cutting the stem and the bottom off the squash.
2. Use a vegetable peeler and remove the skin from the squash.
3. From there, slice the squash in half horizontally.
4. Scoop out the inside flesh and seeds.

Can You Eat Butternut Squash Seeds

Yes! The seeds actually have nutritional value. You can eat them just like you would pumpkin seeds.

Do You Have to Peel It?

You can eat the skin, so there’s no need to peel it, if you don’t want to. Simply halve it, scoop out the seeds and chop it into chunks. Peeling is a matter of preference. You can also grab peeled butternut squash in the refrigerated produce section of stores like Trader Joe’s.

Is Butternut Squash Healthy?

It’s technically a fruit. Butternut squash is low in calories but high in nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium. A one-cup serving of cooked butternut squash provides more than 450% of the Recommended Daily intake for vitamin A and over 50% of the RDI for vitamin C.

Key Ingredients

• Butternut Squash
• Homemade Chili Seasoning
• Red Bell Peppers
• Green Bell Peppers
• Onions
• Garlic
• Ground Beef or Turkey
• Beans
• Corn
• Tomato Paste
• Broth

How to Make Butternut Squash Chili With Turkey or Beef

Detailed measurements and full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Heat a pot on medium-high heat. When hot, add olive oil, chopped onions, green peppers, and red peppers.
2. Saute for a few minutes until the veggies are soft.
3. Add in the minced garlic.
4. Add in the ground beef.
5. Season the beef with the chili spices and seasoning.
6. Add broth, beans, corn, diced tomatoes and chilies, tomato paste, and cubed sweet potatoes to the pot.
7. Simmer.

How to Substitute Beef

You can use ground turkey, ground chicken, ground beef, whatever you like, or omit the meat.

How to Use Roasted Butternut Squash

I like to use the air fryer if I’m going to make roasted butternut squash for the chili. Check out my Air Fryer Butternut Squash here. It tastes so much better!

If using the oven, slice it up and bake the squash for 25-30 minutes on 400 degrees.

How to Make it in a Slow Cooker or Crockpot

You will have to cook your ground beef first on stovetop. Add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker or Crockpot and cook for 4-5 hours on High or 7-8 hours on Low.

What to Top the Chili With/Toppings Ideas

• Tortilla Strips
• Avocado
• Seeds from the squash
• Heavy cream or Sour Cream
• Greek Yogurt (plain)
• Bacon (cooked and crumbled)
• Chives
• Crackers
• Croutons

How Long it Will Last in the Fridge

It will last tightly covered and sealed for 3-4 days.

How to Reheat

You can reheat in the microwave or on the stove until warm.

Freezer Tips

This is a great freezer meal! It works wonderfully for meal prep. I freeze the soup using these soup molds from Amazon. The soup will freeze for up to several months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.

Pair With These Recipes

Homemade Southern Cornbread
Cornbread Muffins
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Honey Cornbread
Air Fryer Cornbread
Pumpkin Cornbread
Keto Low Carb Cornbread
Southern Cornbread Dressing

More Chili Recipes

Slow Cooker Chili Mac and Cheese
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Keto Low Carb Beef Chili
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Pumpkin Chili
Sweet Potato Chili
Leftover Turkey Chili
Creamy Seafood Chili
Buffalo Chicken Chili
Chili Cheese Fries
Creamy Stovetop White Chicken Chili
Taco Chili