These Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chili Cheese Fries are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! At least in my book. Editing the pictures and writing out the recipe reminded me just how much I enjoyed this dish and caused me to ask myself “why have I been sitting on this recipe for weeks?!” This is prime time butternut squash season and yet, for whatever reason, I’ve held out on sharing it with you…oops. If you are a fan of butternut squash, and chili cheese fries, this is a must try for you! And of course I’m always in favor of things that come together quickly, and this one is ready in under 30 minutes.
One of my very favorite things to make this time of year, is Sweet Potato Black Bean Chili. I love making a huge pot of it and eating on it night after night. In fact, my love for this chili was the inspiration behind these Butternut Squash Chili Cheese Fries. I’ve never considered myself much of a chili-lover, but that was before I knew you could replace the meat and red beans with sweet potatoes and black beans – my eyes {and stomach} have been opened up to a whole new world of chili! The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes, is a lovely contrast to the chili powder, cumin, garlic, and slight cayenne kick. Add a little sour cream and avocado, and I’m in food Heaven.
And I’m thrilled to say that my efforts in using the same ingredients and flavors to create these Butternut Squash Chili Cheese Fries was fully rewarded, the outcome was exactly what I wanted. Warm, hearty, flavorful, a little kick, and a hint of sweetness…simply delightful. As I write this, I can’t help but think of the butternut squash sitting on my table at home, contemplating whether I have enough of the other ingredients to whip this up tonight – I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Now that I’m done drooling over this butternut squash dish, does anyone else feel like they’ve already missed Christmas?! I don’t know what is wrong with me, but I feel SO behind. And when I stop to think about, I’m really not. We don’t have a ton of gifts to buy this year and our tree and decorations are up… but somehow I still feel like Christmas is either tomorrow, or was yesterday, and I’m in slow motion while everyone else is racing by – am I alone in this craziness?!? When you’re little, adults constantly tell you to “Enjoy it, as you get older, each year goes by fast than the last”, somehow I didn’t believe them – but now, I’d say that’s an understatement! Lesson learned, listen to your elders! :)
Happy Cooking!
Vegetarian Butternut Squash Chili Cheese Fries
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/3 cup onions chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup black beans rinsed
- 1/2 cup fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tbsp ground chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 1 ounce aged cheddar shredded
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 avocado sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- While oven heats, cut butternut squash into fries. I peeled the squash, then cut in half length wise, removed the seeds, cut it in half again to make quarters, then cut 1/4"-1/2" thick fries.
- Grease baking sheet with a little coconut oil cooking spray, then lay fries out into single layer and bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add chopped onions and minced garlic to a sauce pan with coconut oil and saute on stove top over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until onions are translucent and garlic begins to brown.
- Add black beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and tomato paste to onions and garlic, then stir to combine. Add chili powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook over medium low heat for 5-7 minutes or until mixture is heated through and flavors are well blended.
- Once fries are cooked and have cooled for 1-2 minutes, layer them on large platter or two separate plates, top with black bean vegetarian chili mixture, then sprinkle with shredded cheese {I used aged cheddar}, drizzle with sour cream, and garnish with sliced avocado.
- Serve and EAT!
Nutrition
