Instant Pot Black eyed peas lentils butternut squash chili makes an effortless one pot meal that is Vegan and gluten-free too. Packed with loads of veggies and protein , this recipe requires less than 20 minutes of preparation time. It is one of my favorite healthy comfort meal.
Spring is here and it is not usual to rain in Bay area. But it did. So I am back to my chili love.
It has all good for you stuff and a bowl or two of this delicious chili will leave you full and satisfying until the next meal..
This recipe is not an authentic one but I assure you that it is very nourishing and delicious.
It doesn’t have a lot of tomatoes like a typical chili.
On the protein front we have two varieties here – red lentils and black eyed peas. What I like about them that they do not require overnight soaking .
You may just use the beans and skip lentils but let me tell you that lentils result into thick and creamy chili .
Let’s talk about the veggies used.
If you have been following my recipes you must know how much I love colors on my platter.
I have used all seasonal veggies that were in my refrigerator . Basically you can call it as a fridge clean up chili too.
I even threw in a good amount of spring mix towards the end but it is totally optional.
And the star of this chili is butternut squash … oh I love it so much and actually don’t need a reason to add it.
I have never understood why one should enjoy butternut squash in fall and winter only.
Squashes stay well for months without cutting it in. And if you happen to cut them any leftover squash can be stored in cubes or puree form in the freezer.
In fact the grocery stores sell them all year round.
This time I have used some pre cut butternut squash that I got from Costco .
You may sub it with sweet potato or white potatoes .
Speaking of spices ,I have added some turmeric as well as ginger to combat spring allergies but it is totally optional.
Instant Pot Black eyed peas lentils butternut squash chili
Ingredients
- ¾ cup Black eyed peas soaked in warm water for at least 20-30 minutes
- ½ cup red lentils/ orange masoor dal washed 2-3 times and drained no soaking necessary
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil / cooking oil
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 5-6 cloves garlic chopped/ grated or 1 tablespoon paste
- 2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger optional
- 1 teaspoon turmeric optional
- 1 celery stalk chopped roughly
- 1 cup cubed bell peppers
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 small zucchini chopped
- 2 cups low sodium veg broth or water
- 5-6 fresh tomatoes pureed i.e 3 cups tomato puree fresh/ canned
- 1 piece chili in adobo from the can or 2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 cups spring greens optional
- Fistful of chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Puree the tomatoes along with the chili in adobo and keep aside.
- Switch IP on Sautee mode.
- Add oil and after 30 seconds add in the onions . Saute for a minute.
- Now add in the ginger garlic. Sautee for 30 seconds.
- Now throw in the veggies , lentils , beans, broth, tomato puree except BUTTERNUT SQUASH & spring GREENS.
- Add in the spices except SALT.
- Give the chili a quick stir .
- Top it with Butternut Squash and do not stir .
- Close the lid. Press cancel SAUTE
- With valve on the SEALING position press MANUAL high pressure 6 minutes.
- NPR ( natural pressure release) . Open the lid.
- Add salt and gently give it a stir .
- Test if the beans are cooked by smashing one.
- If adding greens , press SAUTE and add them . Cook for a minute until they are wilted.
- Taste test and adjust spices if necessary.
- Chili thickens more once it starts cooling down.
Notes
I top squash rather than mixing in so that it doesn’t turn mushy and stay intact texture wise.
Use 7-8 cups of veggies in total .
If using any other beans like chickpeas or black beans then use already cooked ones before adding it to the chili as it requires to be soaked overnight and has a longer cooking time than black eyed peas. Adding it raw along with the other chili ingredients isn’t recommended as the veggies will turn mushy and loose texture. You may use equivalent canned beans
The spice level for this chili is 3 on 5 , 5 being the hottest.
You may sub butternut squash with sweet potato or white potato .
I have used fresh tomato puree , you may sub it with canned puree or crushed tomato & not tomato paste.
If skipping lentils mix ¼ cup yellow corn flour/ masa harina flour mixed in ½ cup of water and add after NPR opening the lid. And let it thicken on saute mode for 2 minutes. This will thicken the chili without using lentils.
Leftover chili can be stored in the refrigerator up to 4 - 5 days and freeze up to 2 months.
Recipe can be halved easily.
Prep time - 20 -30 mins
Cook time - 12 minutes. (6 minutes under pressure)
NPR takes around 15 minutes.
Nutrition
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It’s says this makes 8 cups but it does not say what the serving size is. 1 cup? 2 cups?
Serving size is 1 cup each Deena.
Hi! I’d like to use Urad Dal in place of the lentils. Would that work? Do I need to adjust the cooking time?
Thank you.
Hello Trish, are you looking to use black urad or white split urad dal?
Great recipe.. loved the use of squash!! Thanks .
How much qty does this measurements yield? Pl can you reply ASAP?
Priya it’s already mentioned in the recipe card 🙂 this chili recipe makes 8 cups .The cup line inside the instant pot.
I didn’t see the nutritional information posted?
Hi Roxy. I have updated it.
This was even more delicious than I thought it would be! I soaked the black eyed peas while I prepped the vegetables and was skeptical about whether the beans would cook in 6 minutes, but they did. The lentils add a nice creaminess. I had a half bag of wilting spring mix and stirred that in at the end of cooking. I’ll be making this again for sure. 🙂
Thank you for a lovely feedback Stephanie. It’s our house favorite recipe for this season too!
What size IP is this geared for? Should I cut it in half for the mini?
This is for 6 qt. ip, you may cut the recipe in half for sure for the mini.
This sounds great and I need to clean out my fridge too. Quick question, I got the frozen cubes butternut from Costco so would you thaw first? Thanks
No need to thaw Christine. Just add them as is.
Discovered your post on Pinterest and knew what I was going to make for dinner. I halved the batch and damm this was so Good . I should have doubled it. Will make it again next week . Thank you.
Hehehe Stacey , yes next time use the recipe as is. The leftovers are so delicious 🙂
Such a delicious one pot meal. So tempting!
Indeed , thank you Ruchi 🙂
I made this recipe yesterday and it was delicious .. thank you very much
That’s great Myriam . I am glad that you gave it a try and liked it as well. Thank you for a lovely feedback!
Made it today and it turned out to be delicious. Thank you for the detailed notes . I used sweet potatoes zucchini and carrots with black eyed peas . Very satisfying meal.
Happy to know that you liked it Supriya.
Yummy and Healthy. Perfect dish for rainy days.
Thank you. Yes indeed.
A good protein pack meal for the vegetarians …
Health needs taste too …
Thank you 😊
Thank you Niyati. Indeed!