Beef and Summer Squash Chili

By Cubby

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 ounces ground beef chuck
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 poblano chile pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 15 -ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 15 -ounce can pinto beans (do not drain)
• 2 medium zucchini and/or yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 avocado, diced
• Fresh cilantro, for topping

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 35mins
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up the meat, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the onion, poblano and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring, until combined, about 1 minute.

Add the tomatoes and the beans and their liquid to the pot; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

Stir the squash into the pot. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and the chili thickens slightly, about 10 minutes (add up to 1/2 cup water if the chili is too thick). Season with salt. Top each serving of chili with the avocado and some cilantro.