No nightshades, no problem! Our nightshade-free butternut squash chili is here for you!

It took for me to not be able to eat nightshades anymore to realize how many meals I love that include nightshades. Instead of just avoiding those recipes altogether, Joe and I took this as a creative opportunity and challenged ourselves to recreate these recipes to be nightshade-free!

After conquering family dishes like Baba Ghanoush and Shepard's Pie, we went for another childhood favorite: chili! I remember being so excited when my mom would be making her chili. We would always have it over rice, it would be loaded with kidney beans, have a tomato sauce base, and would top it with dairy-free sour cream or cheese. My mom would also make her chili with turkey chop meat or just a mixture of veggies, including peppers.

For more recipes by my mom, check out Momma Mac's Cooking Corner!

When it came time for us to figure out how we should make our own chili recipe, we decided off the bat to switch kidney beans for black beans. I also wanted to keep with the veggie idea my mom would do, so we chose to load ours' up with butternut squash.

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Butternut squash is rich in vitamins and antioxidants, which is exactly what we need during the winter months when we typically make this recipe. Plus, butternut squash is versatile, making this dish the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

Since tomatoes are also a nightshade ingredient, we make our base with a blend of spices, bone broth, and arrowroot starch. If you are someone who doesn't have any food restrictions and just want to try this recipe out, you can replace the starch with the more common choices, like potato or corn starch.

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While on the topic of changes you can make to this recipe, you can also replace the butternut squash with diced sweet potatoes or Japanese sweet potatoes. This way also gives off the hearty and cozy feel we love so much about this dish, with just a slightly lessened sweetened taste.

We hope you enjoy our version of chili as much as we do!

Nightshade-Free Butternut Squash Chili

Ingredients

• 1 (2 – 2 1/2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2” cubes

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• Sea salt

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon turmeric

• 1 tablespoon cumin powder

• 2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 1 cup diced onion

• 1 lb ground grass-fed beef

• 2 to 3 cups of Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth

• 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch

• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed

• optional: dairy-free cheese, scallions, or dairy-free sour cream for topping

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Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 415°F.

2. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread out the cubed butternut squash and cover with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sea salt for taste. Roast in the oven for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until cooked as desired.

3. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a soup pot over medium heat. Add the spices and stir for 30 seconds. Add in the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it starts to soften (about 5 minutes).

4. Add in the ground beef. Break up the meat as it cooks until the beef is no longer pink.

5. Add in the beef broth, black beans, and arrowroot starch. Stir to combine, then add in the cooked butternut squash. If the mixture is too thick, add more beef broth to thin out the chili.

6. Cover the pot and cook on medium for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until it is tender.

7. Enjoy over a bowl of rice, pasta, or quinoa!