BY JOANNE BRUNO
Vegetarians have to fend for themselves come fall. Whereas summer is all about fresh, veggie-full clean eating…autumn cooking tends to be a practice in roasting as much meat as possible, topping it with bacon, and calling it breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ve quickly come to realize that if you want to find a veg-friendly option at a potluck, football party, or Thanksgiving dinner, you’re going to have to make it yourself. (Or risk having to scrounge together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from whatever your host happens to have in their cabinets. And nothing is sadder than a PB+J on turkey day while everyone else is digging into the bacon-infused mashed potatoes that your father insists don’t have meat in them.)
Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered. This cranberry bean chili with winter squash and swiss chard is the perfect dish to bring to any fall celebration that you happen to be attending. Smoky and spicy from the chipotle chili powder, just barely sweet from the winter squash, and chock full of nutrients, it’ll leave even your most carnivorous of dining companions reaching for more.
Cranberry Bean Chili with Winter Squash and Swiss Chard
Serves 4, adapted from Bon Appetit Fast/Easy/Fresh
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium winter squash, chopped (kabocha, butternut, delicata)
2 tbsp chipotle chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 cup cranberry beans, soaked and boiled until tender
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes
1 bunch swiss chard, coarsely chopped
Method:
- Heat oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic. Saute until tender and golden, about 9 minutes.
- Add squash. Stir 2 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Stir in beans, broth, and tomatoes with juices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until squash is tender, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in chard. Simmer until chard is tender but still bright green, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.
Joanne Bruno is a food writer and third year MD/PhD student. Find more of her delicious ramblings over at her blog: Eats Well With Others.
Photos: Joanne Bruno
For more of Joanne’s recipes, follow me on Twitter (@Marcus Cooks)
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks unbelievably good. This is going down in my kitchen tonight.
Thanks so much! Definitely let me know how it turns out!
At least I’m not the only person whose parents insist that things that obviously have meat in them don’t have any meat.
This looks like a delicious dish to add to my fall meatless chili repertoire.
This sounds delicious, Joanne! I’d love to know where you found the cranberry beans.
What a unique twist on chili! It looks so full of flavor, color and vitamins! BYO vegetarian dish sounds like a great way to go when attending potlucks. Good advice!
This is just as hearty as any chili with meat in it! But bacon mashed taters sound mighty good too. I’d have some of each!
Besides being such a pretty chili, it looks really hearty. I’d love a bowl of that any time!
I have been vegetarian so long that I think autumn is all about roasting pumpkin or adding it to a stew like this – love the colours and textures – I agree this is great comfort food – would love it if people brought such food to my place
Sounds delicious to me!
This looks really similar to a recipe that Heidi of 101 Cookbooks has…bean, squash and swiss chard chili/mole. I think the only difference is that she adds a little chocolate powder, which really kicks the flavor to a new level..
Hey Amy! I’m definitely going to have to try adding some cocoa powder the next time I make this. Thanks for the great suggestion!
Eating this right now, it’s packed full of goodness! It took me a while to find the beans — I got an italian style at Whole Foods in a can in the end. A dash of greek yogurt tops it off so well! Thanks for this recipe!
Hey Sarah! I’m so glad you liked it! If you ever make it again, I think pinto beans or kidney beans would be great substitutions for the cranberry beans…those might be easier to find, but canned works great as well!
This looks beautiful and delicious. One question, though. Don’t you need to peel the squash? (If not, hooray for that!)
Sounds/looks delicious! I’m looking forward to making this recipe over the weekend with some cranberry beans I picked up recently. And I’ll be using the pressure cooker for the beans, with an overnight soak, love how much time the PC saves for cooking beans. I have a Kuri squash, so I’m going to use that (and I was wondering about peeling the squash, too).
Cranberry beans are also called borlotti. This list of substitutes may be helpful for those who can’t find them:
Substitutes: tongues of fire beans, cannellini beans, Great Northern or pintos .
Hi Jackie! Sorry to not get back to you sooner. I think this would be great with a kuri squash! I don’t necessarily think you’d need to peel it as the skin will get soft as it cooks. I generally don’t peel any squash other than acorn squash. Thanks for the list of substitutes for the beans!
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