The holidays are (finally) behind us and it's time to jump into a healthy routine that won't be interrupted by dips, sweets, and cocktails!
And with this colder weather, I like to cozy up with a warm bowl of soup, stew, or chili.
My new and delicious Instant Pot Butternut Squash Chili recipe is what I'm sharing with you this week. Good news, you can easily make it in a slow cooker too!
This recipe uses 3 of the Balanced Bites Spice Blends (Coffee BBQ and Taco & Fajita) - optionally just 2 if you don't want the heat from the Smoky Spice Blend. The blends can be found ready-made and organic in large bottles for sale or you can mix them up yourself from the recipes in Practical Paleo, 2nd edition.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon chopped
- 1 large red onion, chopped, reserve some aside for garnish
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, chopped, (red, orange, or yellow)
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 5 cups chopped butternut squash, 1" pieces (yield from 1 medium squash that's peeled, seeded, and diced)
- 1/4 cup red wine or broth of any kind
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
- 3 tbsp TACO & FAJITA Spice Blend
- 2 tbsp COFFEE BBQ Spice Blend
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped, for garnish
- lime wedges, for garnish
- tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
Set the Instant Pot (IP) to the Sauté function, then hit the Adjust button to move it to the middle setting labeled as Normal for medium heat.
Place the bacon into the pot and allow it to render down for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onion, garlic, and peppers to the pot and allow to cook for a few minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients to the IP and break up the meat, gently stirring the ingredients together to incorporate them. Close the lid and set your valve to Sealing.
Press the Manual button and adjust to 20 minutes on high pressure
When the high pressure cooking is finished, allow the IP to depressurize on its own.
Served garnished with cilantro, a squeeze of fresh lime, and a side of some tortilla chips.
Notes
SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS
cook on high for ~2 hours on low for ~4 hours (until meat is cooked through and squash is soft).