All You Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili

I absolutely love fall. The weather gets cooler (but not too cold), the leaves turn and best of all fall baking and cooking season begins. There is something about the smells of cinnamon, all-spice and nutmeg that I find comforting and reminiscent of childhood. My mother used to cook tons during the fall season and the smells bring back great memories of the family meals my mother would prepare. The other fall cooking tradition I love is using my crockpot. My crockpot gets a lot of use making stews and chili during the colder months. One of my favorite ingredients to use in chili is butternut squash, so I was pleased the September issue of All You magazine had a recipe for Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili. 

This recipe has 14 ingredients. The prep time is approximately 20 minutes and then 6 hours of cooking in the crockpot. The ingredients are all basic and I was easily able to find all of them at my local grocery store. To save money I used dried black beans instead of canned, 4 cans of black beans is a lot more expensive than buying them dry and preparing. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written. 

The weather in our area has turned cold the last week and this chili was perfect. My two boys ate out all the beans and refused to eat the butternut squash, but that is usual behavior for them. I appreciated that all the work is done in the crockpot, saving me time right before dinner. My husband took the leftovers to work and said that they re-heated well. Overall, a great crockpot recipe for the cooler months ahead. 

For the recipe go to Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili.