Isadora (Izzy) shares this recipe and a variety of vegetarian dishes on her site, “She Likes Food”. (Note from Dee: This recipe divides easily in half, if you want to cook only one squash.)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 whole Acorn squash
1 teaspoon Olive oil, plus more for roasting acorn squash
2/3 cup diced Onion
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced Red pepper
1/2 cup diced Green pepper
1 cup diced Tomato
1 1/4 teaspoons Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
3 cups cooked Beans, (Ex: 1 can pinto and 1 can kidney)
2 Tablespoons Tomato paste
2 teaspoons Chili powder
2 teaspoons Cumin
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Brown sugar or Coconut sugar
1 Tablespoon Water (or more, depending on how thick you want your chili)
Cilantro, for garnish if desired
Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the acorn squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle the insides with a small amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Place the squash, cut side down, in an oven safe dish and fill with 1/4 inch water. Bake squash for 30-40 minutes, until tender.
While squash is baking, make the chili:
1. Heat a large pot over medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, peppers, tomato, salt and pepper and stir for 3-5 minutes until tender.
2. Add the remaining chili ingredients. Stir until everything is combined and simmer until squash is finished baking.
3. Once squash is done, scoop about 1 cup of chili into each squash bowl. Top with your favorite chili toppings.