Autumn Harvest Chili Stuffed Butternut Squash
 
 
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 small butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 8 ounces ground turkey
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
  • ½ medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 small zucchini, cut into ½” dice
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Chili powder, see note
  • 1 can diced hatch chiles
  • 10 ounces frozen corn, or 3 ears of corn on the cob shucked
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
  • 1 cup shredded yellow cheddar cheese
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Arrange the butternut squash, flesh side facing up, on a large baking sheet. Drizzle the squash halves with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Flip the squash over so they’re flesh side down and roast for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, carefully turn the squash over and bake for another 15 minutes to brown the edges. If your squash are larger they will need more time to cook to become tender.
  3. While the squash is cooking, heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned, breaking up in the pan as needed. Remove the cooked turkey from the skillet and set aside.
  4. Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the bell pepper and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and add the vegetable stock, smoked paprika, dried oregano, chili powder, can of hatch chiles, corn, tomato paste and maple syrup or honey. Using an immersion blender or a food processor, puree a cup or two of the chili mixture. This helps thicken it. Add the pureed chili back in (if you used a food processor) and add the ground turkey back in. Let cook for 5 more minutes then reduce heat to low until the butternut squash is done.
  5. When the butternut squash halves are done roasting and the chili is ready, scoop the chili into the butternut squash. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar over the mounded chili. Broil the filled squashes for 3 minutes to melt the cheese then serve.
Notes
I don’t like spicy food so I only used about ¼ teaspoon of chili powder. The original recipe calls for 2-3 tablespoons of chili powder so use according to your preference.
Recipe by Lemon & Mocha at http://www.lemonandmocha.com/2018/10/15/autumn-harvest-chili-stuffed-butternut-squash/