January 18, 2017

Slow Cooker Vegan Chili with Quinoa and Butternut Squash

Name: Slow Cooker Vegan Chili with Quinoa and Butternut Squash
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 15 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Southwestern
Ingredients: 1 yellow onion, diced; 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins; 3 stalks celery, chopped; 2 cups butternut squash cubes; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 1 (28 oz.) can diced fire roasted tomatoes; 2 (4.5 oz.) cans diced green chilies; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tablespoons chili powder; 1 tablespoon cumin; ½ cup quinoa; 3 cans beans (kidney, black, garbanzo, pinto, etc.); 3 cups vegetable broth; 3 dashes hot sauce, to taste, plus more for serving; 1 teaspoon sea salt; fresh cilantro, for garnish; thinly sliced radishes or diced red onion, for garnish; 1-2 avocados, for garnish

posted by Marina Delio | 9 Comments

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Hearty, vegetarian and vegan 3-bean chili made with quinoa and butternut squash. This comforting veggie chili is perfect for your slow cooker or crockpot.

easy vegetarian slow cooker chili with beans, quinoa, and butternut squash

Every month the families at my girls’ school contribute to a staff appreciation lunch. I know the parents truly do appreciate our teachers and love to honor them with a special lunch. We send our babies off in the mornings and know they are being loved and educated for seven hours of the day. One of our teachers is often found in the classroom preparing on weekends, and spending lunchtimes in the classroom with a few children who like to stay in.

Providing a warm, home cooked meal is the least we can do. One of the things I like most about cooking is that homemade food makes such a wonderful gift that nourishes body and soul.

The lunch theme this month was chilis and soups. To keep the chilis warm, of course, slow cookers were necessary. So I made a pot of my favorite vegetarian/vegan chili with lots of veggies like sweet butternut squash, 3 types of beans, and quinoa. My family loves this slow cooker veggie chili because it’s easy to spice up or down. I make it on the mild side and Yummy Hubby and I spice ours up with hot sauce.

This veggie chili is an easy one-pot meal that everyone needs to have for busy nights. It provides plenty of vitamins from the colorful vegetables, and complete protein from the beans and quinoa.

Update: Don’t miss my new favorite Vegan Chili here!

Let the slow cooker do the cooking and when you’re ready to eat, top the chili with your favorite toppings. What are your favorite toppings? A few of my favorites are avocado, cilantro, and a little spicy crunch from either thinly sliced radishes or diced red onion. If you have an Instant Pot, try our Instant Pot Vegetarian Chili next, and don’t miss our post full of Vegan Instant Pot Recipes!

I hope you add this veggie slow cooker chili with quinoa, beans, and butternut squash to your weekly dinner rotation! I love using the slow cooker for chili, but when I haven’t planned ahead I head straight to the Instant Pot. Get my Instant Pot vegetarian chili recipe here!

Yield: serves about 8