Butternut Chili in Pumpkin Bowls
This is a perfect way to celebrate the fall harvest – chili made from fresh tomatoes, peppers, zucchini and squash, served in a tiny baked pumpkin: the bowl you can eat!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 4 bowl sized pumpkins (look for pie pumpkins) wash the outside well
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- ½ cup diced celery
- 1 sweet red pepper, diced
- 2 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small butternut squash, cubed
- 1 small – medium green zucchini chopped
- 1 medium carrot chopped
- 2 cups black beans (1 lg can), drained and rinsed
- 2 cups diced tomatoes (use canned if you don’t have fresh)
- 1 tbsp chili powder (or more to taste)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 3 – 4 cups vegetable broth – enough to cover the veggies in the pot
- Sea salt, and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Prepare your pumpkin bowls by slicing the top off about ¾ of the way up. Scoop out insides of the pumpkin using a grapefruit spoon. This takes a few minutes and can feel kind of gross – but it’s fun too! Save the seeds (minus the flesh) to roast them with some olive oil, salt and chili powder. Serve the seeds on your salad if you want.
- When your pumpkins are empty and cleaned out, brush the insides with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. You will be eating the pumpkin flesh with the chili. Put the pumpkins onto a baking pan and into the oven for 30 minutes at 350F.
- While the pumpkins roast, make the chili. In a large pot, add a bit of water and heat. Add chopped onion, garlic and celery and sauté for a few minutes until soft.
- Reduce heat to avoid burning. Add the chopped pepper, zucchini, carrot and squash and cook for 10-15 minutes until softened.
- Add the black beans, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, paprika, vegetable broth, and stir. Simmer on low-medium for another 5 minutes.
- Remove pumpkins from the oven and fill the bowls 3/4 of the way full. Place pumpkins carefully back into the oven (again without top) and bake for another 30 minutes.
- Once they are cooked, turn oven off and leave pumpkins in the oven with lid on to stay warm. They will stay hot in the oven for another hour if necessary.
Garnish with fresh basil to serve.
Notes:
Chili is something easy to make with any veggies you have so make it your own. Add corn, green beans, and peas or substitute the black beans for any other bean you prefer or mix them up.
Serve this with a colourful fresh salad and crusty rolls – great for dipping! Enjoy!