Author Notes
This recipe is my go to for chilly days. No pun intended. It’s hearty, it’s healthy, and packs a lot of flavor. Plus you can adjust the ingredients easily to make it suit your taste buds. I can’t imagine a winter without this chili. It also uses one quart jar of crushed tomatoes that my grandmother and I can every summer which makes it even more special to me! Finish it off with some toppings (avocado or sour cream maybe?) and a dunk a nice crusty piece of garlic bread in all that hot, spicy goodness and you’ll forget all about your winter woes. —LaBreah Welliver
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Ingredients
- Chili
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1/2
Chopped sweet onion
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5 stalks
Chopped celery
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1
Butternut squash cut into small chunks
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4
Cloves of garlic, minced
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1 1/2 ounces
Jalapeños , 1 chopped deseeded, 1/2 sliced seeds left in
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1 quart
Crushed or stewed tomatoes (depending on how chunky you like it)
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15 ounces
Tomato sauce
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1
Chopped, deseeded green bell pepper
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1 pinch
Salt
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1 pinch
Pepper
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2 tablespoons
Chili powder
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1 tablespoon
Cumin
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1 dash
Cinnamon
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2 tablespoons
Avocado oil or olive oil
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30 ounces
Canned kidney beans (if using dried prepare beans seperately)
- Garlic toast
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Crusty bread, sliced
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Garlic gloves, peeled
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Olive oil
Directions
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Heat skillet to medium, add oil to pan once hot. Throw in chopped onion, garlic, celery, butternut squash, bell pepper and chopped deseeded jalapeño. Add pinch of salt.
Cool until veg has started to soften*
Toss cooked veg into your slow cooker and the rest of the ingredients except the beans.
Set your slow cooker on high for about 4 hours or low for about 7-8 hours. I like all the veg to be cooked down and everything to be a nice melded together consistency. ( a good indicator is when the sliced jalapeños look pale and translucent.)
Add prepared kidney beans and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
*you don’t have to do this step but I don’t like much crunch to my veg and this cuts down on slow cooker time. If you want to skip this step just chuck all the ingredients in the slow cooker and walk away. You can also use a Dutch oven for this and cook time will vary but flavor will not.
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Take your nice loaf of crusty bread, slice and lay on a baking sheet. Rub each slice with a clove of garlic (get every last nook and cranny), drizzle with olive oil and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 8- 10 minutes or until desired brown-ness.
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Fill up your bowl and top with sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, sour cream or nothing! Have sweatpants and bunny slipper on deck.
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