Easy Butternut Squash & Black Bean Chili | Weeknight Comfort Food

It’s the finale of Meat-Optional Week in the Chewed Up kitchen, and Carla Hall is serving up serious comfort food with a hearty Butternut Squash & Black Bean Chili with Polenta Rounds. Using pantry staples, warming spices, and clever cooking techniques, Carla shows how vegetables can deliver deep, satisfying flavor without relying on meat.

Michael Symon, Clinton Kelly, and Carla dive into everything from chili science and cooking tips to gardening dreams, winter survival strategies, Instagram impulse buys, cold plunges, golf ambitions, and dream food destinations around the world.

Along the way, Carla shares smart kitchen techniques — like seasoning vegetables before roasting, why bean “pot liquor” adds flavor, and when to add herbs for maximum impact. The result is a cozy, nourishing dish perfect for cold weather cooking.

Equal parts cooking show and hangout session, this episode delivers laughs, practical cooking knowledge, and a reminder that comfort food doesn’t need meat to feel indulgent.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Welcome to Meat-Optional Week

01:20 – Carla introduces the butternut squash chili

03:50 – Pro tip: oil vegetables before roasting

04:30 – Toasting spices for deeper flavor

05:00 – Why Carla keeps the bean “pot liquor”

06:30 – When to add herbs for maximum flavor

08:00 – Winter gardening talk & seasonal debates

10:00 – Cold plunges and Instagram purchases

12:00 – Crafting hobbies and Bird Buddy stories

13:30 – Fan mail & kitchen chaos

15:00 – Learning golf (and failing at golf)

18:00 – Dream food travel destinations

20:00 – Road trip vs bus trip debate

24:00 – Frontgate sponsor moment

24:45 – Plating the chili & polenta rounds

25:30 – Final tasting and wrap-up

🙌 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

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Produced by Simple Alien → https://www.simplealien.com/

Camera, Audio and Crew provided by TV Boy → https://tvboynyc.com/

🍽️ About Chewed Up

Three lifestyle icons reunite with zero filter, strong opinions, and even stronger flavors. Clinton Kelly, Carla Hall, and Michael Symon are back in the kitchen with comedy, comfort food, and unfiltered conversation — served loud.

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