Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash

From an Epicurious recipe, slightly edited.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
  
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  
• 3 15oz cans of black beans (rinsed)
  
• 2.5c vegetable broth
  
• 1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
  
• 3 cups chopped Napa cabbage
  
• salt, pepper, oregano, cayenne, cumin, garlic powder (if you want more garlic)
  

Sautee the onion in some olive oil with the garlic cloves. When the onion is transparent, add the squash and the other seasonings (except salt - vegetable broth tends to be pretty salty, so don't add salt until the end or else it might be too salty). Let it cook for a few minutes, and then add everything except the cabbage. Bring it to a boil covered, stirring occasionally (not much stirring needed, really) and then reduce it to a simmer and leave uncovered until the squash is just tender. Throw in the cabbage and let it cook for another couple minutes, until the cabbage is tender. Serve with slices of cheddar, yogurt, and, yes, sriracha.

Thoughts: This was an odd recipe, but surprisingly good. I would definitely do it again. The original recipe calls for Swiss chard, and if you can get your hands on it it's probably better. But Emily's idea for the substitution worked very well. Surprisingly well. Next time I make it I may still use Napa, in fact. Also next time, some sriracha straight in the soup might be nice to kick up the spice a bit, but I guess everyone has their own tolerance levels, right?

Disaster Index: 1/10