Black bean and butternut squash chili

You could also use sweet potatoes in this.

1 roasted butternut squash, peeled and diced
Maybe 4 cups of black beans
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes
1 diced onion
1 head of garlic, chopped
Chicken or vegetable broth
Seasonings: cumin, chili powder, paprika, dried red pepper flakes, cayenne, salt
Optional: peppers (green, jalapeno, etc.)

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. You could deglaze with a little white wine here. Add the can of tomatoes, then the squash, then everything else, with enough broth to float the whole thing. Let cook down over medium-low heat until the beans are done. Season to taste.

I added some chopped leftover salami, which was pretty darn good. But you could easily leave the meat out to make this vegetarian or vegan (with veggie broth instead of chicken). Either way, it was delicious! A perfect fall soup, and very easy.

Cost: $2.50 for the squash (it was pretty big) and maybe 75 cents for the dried beans. 90 cents for the can of tomatoes. Let's say 20 cents for the onion and garlic, purchased in bulk, and another 15 cents for spices. I'll leave out the cost of the broth (homemade) and the optional meat/peppers. So $4.50 total, and I got six adult servings out of this, easy. Maybe more. Total cost per serving: 75 cents or less.


Butternut Squash