Fall is in the air, and this Chorizo Chili with Roasted Tomatoes and Squash incorporates the harvest flavours into a delicious hearty meal.
Spicy chorizo sausage, white beans, diced tomatoes, and squash. The perfect comfort food. Great for batch cooking too.
With summer winding down, it’s time to get all the comfort food recipes lined up. I happen to think this is the most flavourful time of year.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this chorizo sausage chili can be found at the bottom of this post.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a summer girl to the core. There is just something so satisfying with soups, chilis, and pumpkin lattes.
If you have a Farmer’s Market near you, now is the time to scoop up some great produce. Grab those fresh bushel baskets of produce while you can. One of my favorite things to make this time of year is roasted tomatoes. This freezer-friendly method is just what you need for great meals all year long.
Easy to make meals, hearty satisfying, and totally delicious. Wrapping your hands around big oversized mugs. Sitting by the fire. That is in store for the next few months.
What You Need For This Chorizo Chili Recipe
- Fresh Tomatoes – I like to use Roma, but all kinds will work here.
- Butternut Squash – you can really use any squash variety you like. This is the perfect time of year for finding them.
- Fresh Chorizo Sausage – not the cured variety.
- Poblano Pepper – easily found at the grocery store beside the other peppers.
- Onion – white, yellow, red, spanish, whatever you have on hand.
- Garlic – fresh is best, but dried cloves work well.
- White Kidney Beans – if don’t have them, you can use red kidney beans, or even chickpeas.
- Seasonings – salt, pepper, chili powder cumin, or even a Mexican blend will be delicious.
- Oil – olive or avocado. I also used some jalapeno flavoured oil for added heat.
- Lime and Cilantro – for garnish.
There is lots of wiggle room with this delicious chorizo recipe. Don’t fret if you are missing an ingredient. Swap it out for something else. I promise it will be delicious.
Making Spicy Chorizo Chili Is Easy
Who doesn’t love a big bowl of beef chili? Easy and satisfying is the name of the game. This recipe is just that. Everything you need to know is in the recipe card below. Here is a quick rundown:
First, you need to roast the tomatoes. Wash, cut, season with salt and pepper, coat in oil, and place in a baking dish. This will take about 50 minutes. While the tomatoes are roasting, you can work on the rest of the recipe.
In a large pot, cook the fresh chorizo along with the onions and garlic. I just cut the sausage into chunks. You can remove the casing if you like. Once cooked you will want to drain any excess fat from the pot.
Next, you will add the seasonings, diced squash, and flavoured oil if you are using it. Cook for about 15 minutes.
By this time, the tomatoes should be ready to come out of the oven. Let them cool for a bit and use a blender (regular or immersion) or potato masher to break them up slightly.
Add them to the pot, along with the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Ladle into bowls, garnish with a squeeze of lime and dig in. Serve it with chunks of homemade cornbread or tortilla chips.
Different Types Of Chorizo
This pork sausage is available in three forms:
- raw/fresh
- semi-cooked
- fully cooked
The very popular Spanish chorizo is readily found in the grocery store, in the cured meat section. Since it is fully cooked or cured, you can eat it like ham or salami.
Lots of paprika gives it a red colour. It has a smoky flavour and it can be spicy or mild. It works great in recipes like slow cooker spicy kale soup.
Mexican chorizo is usually raw/uncooked, seasoned with vinegar and chili peppers. Generally, it is less smoky in taste. Look for it in the fresh meat section near other sausages like Bratwurst, Italian, Andouille, and breakfast.
Substitutions
However you mix and match, it’s pretty hard to mess up a great chili recipe.
- Beans – Red kidney beans, chickpeas, Romano beans, and black beans are great choices.
- Seasonings – different types of chili powders and blends all work in this chili recipe.
- Squash – any variety will work. You an even use sweet potatoes.
- Sausage Meat – if you cannot find fresh chorizo, any fresh sausage will work. Spicy Italian is a great substitute.
- Onions – any variety works.
- Poblano Pepper – you can also use jalapeno (remove the seeds if you don’t want all the heat).
- Fresh Tomatoes – all kinds work.
This makes a nice big batch. I did manage to tuck some away in the freezer, although it was so good we wanted to eat all of it! Comfort food heaven.
More Great Comfort Foods
Looking to try more great Fall recipes? Here are a few of our favourites:
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup is made in the blender. Super easy!
- Roasted Cauliflower Soup uses spicy paprika to heat things up.
- Orange Cauliflower Soup combines curry for a nice satisfying main dish meal.
- Sausage and Apple Stuffed Squash is great on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
- Roasted Squash Slices only require 4 ingredients. The perfect fall side dish.
Chorizo Chili With Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 8 cups fresh Roma tomatoes (roughly cut)
- 4 cups butternut squash (cubed)
- 1 ½ pounds chorizo sausage (fresh not cured)
- 1 tablespoon poblano pepper (seeded and diced)
- 1 tablespoon onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 19 ounces white kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 ½ teaspoons jalapeno flavoured olive oil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for roasting tomatoes)
- 1 teaspoon cumin (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- lime and cilantro (for garnish)
Instructions
For the Roasted Tomatoes:
- Preheat oven to 400º F. Wash and ¼ cut tomatoes. Place in a large baking dish. Coat with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for approximately 50 minutes, turning every so often. When they are done, let cool slightly and blitz in blender to break them up.
While tomatoes are roasting:
- In a heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil. Add the diced onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes. While this is cooking cut up the sausage.
- Add the sausage to the onion/garlic mixture. Cook for 20 minutes. Drain any excess fat from the pot. Add the seasonings (chili powder, cumin).
- Add the diced squash and jalapeno oil. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the roasted/blitzed tomatoes and beans. Season with salt and pepper.
- Reduce heat to medium/low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls. Garnish with a squeeze of lime and cilantro.
valmg @ From Val's Kitchen
This sounds like it would have an interesting flavor. Hubby loves both chorizo and squash so my guess is he’d gobble this right u.
Homemade & Yummy
HAHA…my guess is that he would too.
Karyn Ryan
Yum the perfect Autumn dish..The colours look amazing.
Definitely pinning this to try. it looks super easy
Homemade & Yummy
Hope you give it a try….we love it.
Rezel Kealoha
It’s been so hot here in my part of California, so it’s been one of those unusual summers. I am looking forward to fall and the cool weather so I can make comforting Chili like this.
Homemade & Yummy
Well we have had a crappy summer…but the weather this past week as been fantastic.
Veronika
I am already so excited for the real fall season to make all my favorite comfort food dishes! I like that you incorporated butternut squash and definitely will try your recipe!
Homemade & Yummy
This is a winner in our house for sure.
Swathi
Adding spicy chorizo to chili is great idea. Along with sweet butternut squash makes it extra special. I like to have this kind of chili when temperature comes down. Especially during fall nights.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes I can see this happening a lot this winter.
Veena Azmanov
I love this Gloria. I love comfort food like this. When it gets cooler i”m making this for sure. Love the color and the flavors.
Homemade & Yummy
Thanks Veena….hope you like it as much as we do.
Christine - Jar Of Lemons
YUM! This is so perfect for fall and the upcoming cooler weather. Can’t wait to try it out!
Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much. Hope you give it a try.
Cynthia
Your photos are Ah-mazing! I have to say my favourite time is winter. I grew up in the tropics, and now I live in South Africa, where there is a cold season (not as cold as the Nothern Hemisphere) but cold nonetheless, and this kind of food is what I like to do for those winter days!
Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much, hope you give this recipe a try.
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed
I love comfort food and your chorizo chilli looks delicious, perfect for this time of year. I like how you use fresh chorizo, I bet it adds a lovely spicy kick!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes it really works well in this recipe.
Catherine Brown
I love all the flavors goin’ on in here! and the use of butternut squash… perfect combo! 😉
Homemade & Yummy
This is a keeper, we like it A LOT!!
Noel Lizotte
Savory squash dishes always intrigue me … I grew up with squash coated in brown sugar and butter! This chili will be perfect for a cool fall day. I love how the seasons drive our tastes.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes…I don’t like the cold weather, but love the food it brings along with it.
Marie-Pierre Breton
Nice dish to welcome fall season but still with a touch of summer in it! (lime) I’m in total stew mode also, plus the contrast of the sweet butternut squash and spiced up stew and sausage is fantastic! Yum!
Homemade & Yummy
Yup there are lots of great flavours in this dish.
Adriana Lopez Martin
I have never added chorizo to a chili but looks like a nice idea this reminds me of a Spanish traditional potaje that has beans and chorizo
Homemade & Yummy
It works really well in this dish. Hope you give it a try.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
We have lived in NY for 15 years and now we have moved to a much warmer place. I never thought I would say this, but we really miss the snow. The winter has its own beauty and sometimes hibernating is fun too 🙂 Love the recipe with all the seasonal produces. I have tons of tomatoes and squash in the backyard.
Homemade & Yummy
Well, living in Canada all my life…and I have yet to enjoy a winter season. Perhaps this will be the one I will fall in love with.
Deepika
I recently tasted chorizo sausage and I fell in love with it. I am sure this chilli is amazing with chorizo in it.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes is great in this recipe. Provides great flavour and texture too.