This is one of those recipes that you will make again and again and again, promise. Every fall, the anticipation starts to build as I wait for the stores to stock the produce section with acorn squash so I can make this chili. During the winter we probably have acorn squash chili close to once a week. It is my go-to winter recipe. And it is so simple! Only four ingredients! I kind of feel like I’m cheating because this recipe is so easy. Acorn squash, salsa, beans, sausage, and toppings. I adapted my recipe from a Better Home and Gardens issue from, oh, probably like five years ago… and it has become a staple ever since the first time I made it. The weather is starting to get warmer, and so I feel like I only have a weeks left of soup and chili making.
I’m one of those people who stockpiles recipes from magazines. I have pages and pages ripped from magazines that need to be organized, forced into slip covers, and filed into notebooks. Occasionally I am the person who rips recipes out of magazines in waiting rooms (so horrible, feel very guilty every time, should probably just take a picture of the recipe with my smart phone now that I think of it….). I am currently hiding all my magazine recipe clippings in the basement somewhere…hiding them from myself actually because no matter how many cookbooks and recipe collections I have, I still get online to look up recipes 90% of the time. And I will never throw away any of my pages and pages of recipes, never ever, and so my stash of recipes just continues to grow, alone and neglected in the basement. Anyone else have this problem???
I have to admit that I did not like winter squash when I was growing up. I think it might have taken until after college before I realized how much I was missing out. And so now I am sharing with you all my love of acorn squash. This recipe is simple, easy, and takes about 45 minutes to make. Kris even made it for a chili contest at work a few years ago, and it won!
Hope this recipe finds it’s way into your recipe stash and that you’re recipes are more organized than mine. This chili can be made as a stand alone for dinner or pair with a salad to pack even more vegetables into your day.
- Acorn Squash - medium cut in half, seeds removed
- 16 oz jar of Black Bean and Corn Salsa
- 1 pound of sausage - pork or chicken
- 1 can of cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup - 1 cup of water
- Toppings: Green onions sour cream, goat cheese, shredded cheddar cheese - not shown
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Place acorn squash cut side down on baking sheet.
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Bake for 30 minutes.
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While acorn squash is baking, brown sausage in a large sauce pan or dutch oven over medium heat, breaking apart into small pieces as it cooks.
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Once sausage is cooked, about 15-20 minutes, add salsa and cannellini beans. Stir to combine.
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When the acorn squash is soft, remove from the oven and allow to slightly cool, carefully (because it's hot!) scoop the squash from the shell and add to sausage mixture.
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Let simmer for approximately 5-10 minutes to let flavors blend, add 1/2 cup - 1 cup of water to thin if the chili is looking more like mashed potatoes that soupy.
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Top with your choice of green onions or (not shown) goat cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream.
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