Crock Pot Butternut Chili

Total Time: 8 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 8 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed, toasted and ground
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick, piece (2 inches)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, including juice 796 ml
• 3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (1 inch)
• 2 cups cooked dried kidney beans or 2 cups canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 dried new mexico chiles or 2 ancho chilies or 2 guajillo chilies
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Recipe

• 1 in a skillet, heat oil over medium high heat for 30 seconds. add beef and onions and cook, stirring, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. add garlic, toasted cumin, oregano, salt, peppercorns and cinnamon stick and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. add diced tomatoes with juice and bring to a boil.
• 2 place squash and beans in slow cooker stoneware and cover with sauce. cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours, until squash is tender.
• 3 half an hour before recipe is finished cooking, in a heatproof bowl, soak dried chile peppers in boiling water for 30 minutes, weighing down with a cup to ensure they are submerged. drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid. discard stems and chop coarsely. in a blender, combine rehydrated chiles, cilantro and reserved soaking liquid. puree. add to stoneware and stir well. cover and cook on high for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly and flavors meld.
• 4 tip: if you prefer, you can soak and puree the chilies while preparing the chili and refrigerate until you’re ready to add them to the recipe.
• 5 make ahead: this dish can be partially prepared before it is cooked. complete steps 1 and 3. cover and refrigerate tomato and chile mixtures separately overnight. the next morning, continue with the recipe. serves 6.
• 6 175 essential slow cooker classics.j. finlayson.