This easy one pot chili is perfect for fall, winter, and watching the big game with friends and family! Make it the day before, serve it up at your tailgater, or let it simmer on the stove while you watch the game at home! Make it vegan or con carne!
Easy one pot chili. Hullo fall. So we meet again.
This chili SCREAMS fall and all the warm cozy things and prompts me to bust out singin' my alma mater's fight song. Who's with me?!?! More importantly though, who actually knows all the words to their alma mater's fight song? Yeah, I thought so. Me neither.
Let's talk game day. What day is ACTUALLY game day? Is it Sunday, Monday, Thursday...???
For my side of the family game day is Saturday. If we have tickets to the game. If we have a babysitter. If my hubby who has been grafted into the family alma mater can handle the crazy screaming jumpin' up n' down shoutin' that comes out of his wife at a game. I'm an introvert. But not at college football games.
Game day is one of the few things I'll stand outside for several hours in the freezing cold for. But when the game is over, and I've rushed the field, and totally destroyed my vocal chords for the next week, this easy one pot chili Is.Where.It's.At!!!
There's nothin' like a bowl of hot, steamy chili loaded with all the good stuff. Picture this:
- black beans
- pinto beans
- fire-roasted & crushed tomatoes
- butternut squash (just try it, you'll never go back to chili without it)
- red bell pepper
- green chiles
- onions
- garlic
- seasoned ground beef (but you could TOTALLY make this vegan if that's your thang).
It's the perfect easy one pot meal to celebrate a game day win or a perfect meal to nurse your ego after rushing the field even though your team lost.
It's a win-win. The meal, that is. Maybe not the part about rushing the field post-loss. A+ for team spirit though.
And college students, listen up!!
Make this chili in your little community dorm kitchen the night before the big game, reheat it right before the start of the game, then serve it up to your roomies and dorm mates. You will be the bomb dot com.
You are already awesome but this chili would serve as an outward expression of your amazingness. You might even score a date out of it cuz you are about to seriously impress.
Just sayin'. ♡
✨ More recipes for those chilly fall days!
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📖 Recipe
One Pot Chili
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8
Description
An easy one pot chili that is perfect for fall, winter, or game day! Make it the day before, serve it up at your tailgater, or let it simmer on the stove while you watch the game at home! Make it vegan or con carne!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ lb ground beef (omit for a vegan chili)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- big pinch of salt
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded & diced
- 3 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (7 oz) can diced green chilies
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes with basil
- 3 cups chicken broth (or water for a vegan chili)
- 1 lime, juiced
Tortilla Strips (tasty topping option!)
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (or any oil your prefer that has a high smoke point)
- 8 small corn tortillas, cut in half, then cut crosswise into ¼-inch-wide strips
- ½ lime, juiced
- salt to taste
Other Optional Toppings (all of them on the chili would be AH-mazing!)
- lime wedges
- sliced avocado
- jalapeño, thinly sliced
- green onions, thinly sliced
- cheddar cheese, grated
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- sour cream
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot and cook ground beef over medium heat until browned.
- Add the garlic and spices and stir for a minute.
- Add the onion, red bell pepper, butternut squash, black beans, pinto beans, green chilies, fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and chicken broth. Stir gently to combine it all.
- Bring the chili to a low boil, cover with a lid, then reduce the heat to low. Cook the chili for 1 hour or until the butternut squash is tender.
- Once the chili has finished cooking, add lime juice.
- Taste test the chili! If the chili is too thick for your liking, thin it with broth. If the chili is too thin, allow it to cook longer with the lid removed. Not spicy enough? Add more cayenne or throw in some hot sauce! Want to brighten the flavor? Add more lime!
- To serve, divide the chili among bowls and top with tortilla strips (recipe below), and all the other toppings your heart desires. You could also create a toppings bar and give your guests the option to top off their chili however they'd like!
- EAT!
Tortilla Strips
- Add oil to a medium skillet over medium heat.
- Add tortilla strips to skillet and cook until crisp and lightly browned and golden.
- Transfer tortilla strips to a paper towel.
- Season with lime juice and salt. Allow them to cool for a few minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Allow to cool and then store in an airtight container at room temp.)
Notes
Nutritional information does not include the tortillas strips and other optional toppings.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
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Madison Sparks says
Made this recipe and thought it was so good! I would have never thought to add butternut squash to chili - but it made it extra yummy!!
Shannon Emery says
So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe Madison! : )
Heidi says
That looks really tasty! I'm a huge fan of one-pot meals!
Shannon says
Thanks Heidi! I hope you get a chance to try it out!