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Hearty, spicy and sweet vegetarian chili made with butternut squash and black beans. Top with creamy avocado for an easy meal that satisfies vegans, carnivores and gluten-free eaters alike. This recipes serves 3 to 4. This chili is very hearty, but feel free to add another can of tomatoes or more vegetable broth if you want to thin it out a bit. Double the recipe for a crowd.

Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili with Avocado

olive oil

red onion, chopped

red bell peppers, chopped

butternut squash (1 1/2 pounds or less), peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes

garlic cloves, pressed

chili powder

chipotle pepper

cumin

cinnamon

bay leaf

each) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked black beans

vegetable broth (or

Salt,

Mexico,

corn tortillas for crispy tortilla strips (or substitute crumbled tortilla chips)

Optional additional garnishes: Chopped fresh cilantro and/or red pepper flakes

In a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper and butternut squash and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are turning translucent.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the garlic, chili powder, 1/2 tablespoon chopped chipotle peppers, cumin and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the bay leaf, black beans, tomatoes and their juices and broth. Stir to combine and cover for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Taste about halfway through cooking and add more chopped chipotle peppers if you&#8217;d like.

You’ll know your chili is done when the butternut squash is nice and tender and the liquid has reduced a bit, producing the hearty chili consistency we all know and love. Remove the bay leaf and add salt to taste.

To make the crispy tortilla strips: stack the corn tortillas and slice them into thin little strips, about 2 inches long by 1/4 inch wide. Warm a drizzle of olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat until shimmering. Toss in the tortilla slices, sprinkle with salt and stir. Cook until the strips are crispy and turning golden, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 7 minutes. Remove tortilla strips from skillet and drain on a plate covered with a piece of paper towel.

Serve the chili in individual bowls, topped with crispy tortilla strips and plenty of diced avocado. I added a little sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional). Cilantro would be nice as well. You might want to serve this along with some chipotle hot sauce (Tobasco makes one) for the spice addicts like myself.

Soooo yummy!! One of my new favorites, for sure.

I made this for about 12 friends for a party at my place last night and it was a huge hit! I quadrupled the recipe and played around with the spices a little bit (always more garlic!) but I'm so pleased with how it turned out. We sprinkled some shredded cheddar to the final product and what a masterpiece!

Made this last night. WOW, tasted amazing.

Hi Kate, would it work if I used sweet potato in place of the butternut squash? I don't have any squash in my kitchen right now! Thanks! 

P.S. I've made this recipe before (from your cookbook) and loved it so much!

Made this for dinner tonight with a few changes to accommodate ingredients on hand. It was absolutely fabulous! Will definitely make again! I did find that we needed more beans because I like lots of beans.

By far the most flavorful chili recipe I've made to date. Love the addition of cinnamon. I never would have though to add taht, but it complemented the flavors amazingly well! 1 tbsp of the peppers added just enough heat without overpowering the flavor. I might try a touch more next time as I like things with a little extra kick.

Any thoughts on carrots or zucchini for those who want a little extra vegetable matter in their meals?

Is it possible to use frozen sweet potatoes (it has added brown sugar) and maybe some extra green peppers instead of the butternut squash? The pre-chopped fresh squash I bought went bad very quickly.

Hi Kate. I've been following your blog for a while now and love your recipes. Your sweet potato black bean enchiladas are fantastic; the Thai red curry, delicious; and the super veggie fried rice, super! I needed to cook a butternut that had been sitting in my kitchen for weeks, and I couldn't think of anything interesting to make until I chanced upon this chili recipe. I didn't have chipotle pepper or chili powder, so I used what I had: 1 teaspoon of smoky chipotle paste and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (blasphemy, I know!). It certainly doesn't taste anything like yours, but it turned out delicious!! It's one of the most flavourful chilis I've ever eaten. We ate it with white rice, and it went down a treat. Thank you for these amazing recipes. You make me enjoy cooking veggie food 

One of the best chilis that I've ever had. My husband agreed.  The ONLY "change" that I made was to top it with shredded jack cheese.  So good!!

This is hands down the best chili I've EVER eaten. I used crushed tomatoes instead of diced (my hubby doesn't like chunks of tomatoes) and MOST IMPORTANTLY I made my black beans from Kate's 'from scratch black bean' recipe on this site. I doubt I will ever buy canned black beans again. I added dried oregano and thyme (just because why not) and diced avocado and shredded cheese to the finished product.  Subbed trisquit crackers in place of the tortilla chips for added whole grain goodness.  I wish I had doubled the recipe to freeze, but here in NY winter will come too soon and I plan to make this again and again. Thanks Kate!

So grateful for your recipe!! Loved the combination of flavors! Just made this with a 4lb squash that’s been sitting on my counter for weeks, that our local farm delivered! I wanted something besides soup as it’s too hot &amp; they also brought 2avocados Housebound limits my options I had grain free Cassava chips I was saving so this was a real treat! I used smoked paprika &amp; Chipolte powder instead of Chipolte in adobo sauce.  I gave it a 10+ hubby had seconds &amp; he’s not vegetarian! Thx

Made this chili today. Love it!  I really like heat, so I upped the Adobe sauce a little, as well as the chili powder. Did mash it a good bit at the end to thicken it. I put a dollop of plain no fat Greek yogurt, some fat free cheddar cheese, and a generous squeeze of lime on my bowl right before I ate it. Chili heaven! I like the tortilla strips(have made them for another recipe)but I was lazy. Next time I will do them. 
Thanks for your blog and your cookbook!! I’m a huge fan!

Honey

Thanks for this recipe, so delicious and healthy! I usually eat plant based meals, and I looove how the squash gave the same heartiness to the chili that meat normally provides. To top it off, the cinnamon and chipotle flavors were so fallish and such a good complement. Can't wait to make this one again :)

Making this again tomorrow, it’s so satisfying and delicious.  I tell all of my friends to check out the site and cookbook.  Love your soups!!

Great rich, smoky flavor! Do you have the base calorie info, without the tortilla strips? Is the avocado included in your calculation? 

Thanks!

LOVE this chili, this is my third time making it and my favorite chili recipe I have ever made. Definitely a keeper!

My family loves this chili!  I make it regularly, as I do with many of your delicious recipes.  

This is our absolutely favorite chili recipe. Even my meat eating husband loves it! So great to have a vegan recipe that everyone enjoys. It’s the best!!! I think the chipotle in adobo sauce and the cinnamon are key ingredients.

what do you think about roasting the Butternut squash (as in your other recipe), and add once the Bell peppers are almost done?

You're going to love this Mexican quinoa stew! It's hearty, easy to make and tastes amazing. This soup recipe is vegan and gluten free. Recipe yields 4 large or 6 more modest bowls.

Mexican Quinoa Stew

coconut oil oil

yellow onion, chopped

celery stalks, chopped

carrots, chopped

garlic, pressed

jalapeños,

water

(28 ounces) diced tomatoes

black beans

fine sea salt

quinoa (dry/uncooked)

cilantro

cayenne pepper (for extra heat, optional)

black pepper

In a medium Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and jalapeños. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

Add the water, tomatoes, beans, cumin, salt, quinoa, cilantro and cayenne pepper (if using). Season with pepper and bring the soup to a boil.

Once boiling, lower the heat, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer until the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Once the quinoa is tender, add more salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. You can serve this soup right away or use an immersion blender to purée a couple cups of this soup—this helps to thicken the soup while still leaving some texture (I may have overdone it a bit).

Divide into bowls and serve with any garnishes that you&#8217;d like. Store leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I made this last night and it was a delight. Very tasty and so simple. My teenagers enjoyed it and I feel happy being able to cook a nutritious meal for them. TY!

Absolutely Delicious! Both my husband and I love this recipe. I used couscous instead of quinoa since I did not have any on hand. My husband asked me to make a double batch to freeze. This is definitely our new favourite soup recipe.

This has become one of our all time favorite dinners!  It's my go to dinner when someone has a baby or has another need for a meal.  Does it freeze well?

Thank you for sharing Megan's recipe.  I made this in the Instant pot. Added frozen fired roasted corn. Added soyrizo to one portion for family member that wanted meat. Delicious and versatile.  Thank you.

We had a soup party last night with a few big pots of delicious soups. This soups was a PERFECT fit and smelled the house up with such a beautiful fragrance. Filling and hearty and full of flavor! Thank you so much--the cumin was PERFECT.

Perfect tortilla soup, but so filling! Easy and very delicious! Definitely going to be saving and using it whenever I crave a mexican-esque soup! I am not even a vegetarian and it is super satisfying

This was great! I probably used about double the amount of quinoa and it ended up being more of a cross between a grain bowl and a stew. I also used fixings left over from your black bean soup which I made last week (also great!) - cilantro, avocado, Greek yogurt, salsa, feta cheese (which approximates the texture of crumbly Mexican cheese well) - highly recommend!

I made this on Monday and I've been eating it for lunch all week!  I added some zucchini because I had one in the fridge needing to be eaten--delicious!  I topped mine with a dollop of sour cream and some avocado. It would be delicious with some crunched up tortilla chips too!

Made it tonight for my week's meal and was surprised how flavorful and easy this was.  Of the 3.5 cups of water, I used chicken stock for 2 cups of it and then also added extra cumin.  It's the perfect meal for these winter nights, when topped with crunched up tortilla chips, grated cheese, cilantro, a lime wedge and avocado slices.  Thank you!

It's been raining all day here in New Zeland—this made for the perfect, easy dinner! I couldn't find jalapenos so subbed 2 small red chilies and it came out with the perfect amount of spice. Love the quinoa too, I never thought to put it in soup before. Thanks!

Kate,
As a longtime follower of your blog (from 2013 on!) I've made and enjoyed so many of your recipes. This one is in my top 10! I made a few adjustments: I used red lentils as I didn't have quinoa on hand; I also added chopped sweet potatoes leftover from your Kale, Sweet Potato and Chickpea stew - without an immersion blender at home, I mashed them into the soup with a fork and it gave the stew an awesome spicy-and-sweet consistency. Rad! I can't wait for leftovers for lunch.

Came back again for another great dinner soup.  This one does not disappoint.  I didn't have fresh jalapenos so I used 8-10 pickled jalapenos for some kick.  I omitted the cayenne pepper. Served this with sour cream, finely shredded cheddar cheese, and coriander. The sour cream helped my teenagers handle the heat of the soup.   I will be making this again.  It was perfect for a cold day!

Hi Kate, this recipe and all others on your blog look great! I am planning to make this tonight. I was wondering if you could give low sodium alternatives? I have a 15 month old and I want him to enjoy this too. I do the usual stuff where I avoid all canned products to reduce sodium but it doesn't taste the same.

This is my third time making this soup so I figured I owe you a comment and rating :). Thank you for this awesome recipe, my whole family enjoys this soup. I love that it doesn't include a salty chicken broth, but still tastes great.

This soup is good and full of Mexican flavors.  I've made it several times and it is now a go to recipe when I don't know what to make for the week.  Yum!

Delicious! Much heartier than I expected and I'll definitely make again. I was out of ground cumin but had some seeds. I toasted them and ground them by mortar and pestle. I don't usually do that but it was so fragrant! I only used about 1/4 of jalapeno because I was making it for little kids too. Thanks for a great recipe!

Just made this! Really delicious with some avocado on top :)

This is super delicious! I just made it, but I added just a few tweaks based on what I have and it was perfect! So, I didn’t have jalapenos or any other spicy pepper AND I just ran out if cayenne pepper. Instead, i chopped up some pickled jalapenos (don’t judge me) and used red pepper flakes. I also toasted the spices and quinoa with the veggies, and added a few extra spices like chili powder, paprika and oregano. I blended it up just a bit and served with some toasty corn tortillas. Sooo good! Thank you!

This was so easy and so delicious. Thank you! I made it in the Instant Pot and it was perfect, easy, exactly as described. I love how pureeing a couple of cups enhances the overall texture. We enjoyed ours with tortilla chips and shredded cheddar on top -- will make again for sure.

This is the second time I've made Mexican Quinoa Stew. Used white quinoa, rather than the red used in my first batch, and thought white was visually much more appealing. Added more cayenne and reached the spice level we enjoy. (Never know how spicy a jalapeno will be, so the extra cayenne did the trick.) Lime juice and chopped cilantro were the perfect garnishes

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