Vegan Butternut Squash Tempeh Chili

Vegan Butternut Squash Tempeh Chili

This easy vegan chili is thick, hearty, and loaded with beans, tempeh, butternut squash, and lots of vegetables! It's made in one pot and it's ready to eat in less than one hour.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 318kcal

Author Stacey Eckert

Equipment

6-quart Dutch Oven or a Large Soup Pot

Ingredients

¼ cup vegetable broth (to saute)
1 medium yellow onion diced
4 medium garlic cloves minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp chili powder (make sure it's a seasoning blend)
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cumin
¼ tsp chili pepper flakes (add more to taste)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
4-5 drops liquid hickory smoke (optional)
28 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (with the juice)
½ tbsp maple syrup
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water (optional - depends on how thick you like your chili to be)
(2) 10 oz bags frozen butternut squash chunks
2 medium red bell peppers diced (seeds and membranes removed)
(2) 15 oz cans black beans (rinsed and drained)
(2) 15 oz cans kidney beans (rinsed and drained)
1 block tempeh crumbled or chopped
10 oz bag frozen corn
1 tbsp lime juice

Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the diced onion in ¼ cup vegetable broth until it's soft and translucent. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, chili pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add more liquid if it gets too dry.
Next, add the Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, diced tomatoes (with the juice), maple syrup, vegetable broth, water, frozen butternut squash, red pepper, black beans, kidney beans, crumbled tempeh, and frozen corn. Stir to combine and increase the heat to bring it to a low simmer. Cover and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it cook for 30-35 minutes or until the squash is tender.
Stir in the lime juice and add more salt or seasonings to taste. Garnish each bowl with a dollop of dairy-free sour cream, sliced green onions, fresh cilantro, and pickled jalapenos.

Notes

If you want to use dried beans, use 1 cup of dried black beans and 1 cup of dried kidney beans instead of the 4 cans of beans.
You can use fresh or frozen butternut squash. If you need a substitute, sweet potatoes are a good option.
Make sure you use a chili powder blend (cumin, paprika, garlic, onion, etc.) and not straight blended chile powder (like only cayenne pepper) because that would be extremely spicy.
Store leftovers in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.

Nutrition