Looking for a fall-inspired recipe you’ll want to make again and again and again? You’re in luck because this pumpkin chili is all that and more. Great with both ground beef and ground turkey, this is sure to be a family favorite. (Unless you’re my family. In which case, it’s for grown-ups only.)
Now that it’s officially cold outside in Pennsylvania, I am doing everything in my power to make as many soups and chilis as I can. I’m a huge fan of vegetarian chilis, usually preferring them over any of the meat-based options.
That was, until I tried this pumpkin chili.
The first time I made it, I used ground turkey and it was perfection. I have made it several times since. When I went to make it yesterday, all excited for the prospect of turkey chili, I realized I didn’t actually have any ground turkey. WHOMP WHOMP. So I had to use what was on hand, and that was ground beef. Thank goodness it didn’t matter and turned out delicious anyway.
My point: feel free to choose what ever ground meat tickles your fancy since it will be great no matter what.
Also, feel free to use whatever canned beans you prefer or have on hand. This most recent batch used two cans of kidney beans, but I’ve used garbanzo beans, cannelloni beans, navy beans, as well as a combination of whatever I had on hand (kidney and garbanzo are particularly yummy).
The only thing you shouldn’t skip (or swap out) when it comes to this recipe is the can of pumpkin puree. It’s a pumpkin chili after all.
Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients
- olive oil spray
- 2 cups onion chopped
- 2 medium poblano peppers seeded and chopped
- 2 tsp or 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 28 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 14.5 oz can beans (kidney, pinto, great northern, cannellini, etc)
- 1 14.5 oz can pumpkin purée
Instructions
- Add 3-4 sprays of olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and poblano; sauté 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the garlic; sauté 1 minute.
- Add the turkey; cook until the turkey is no longer pink, breaking up with the back of a spoon, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken stock, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, tomatoes, beans, and pumpkin. Bring to a boil; partially cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Ladle the chili into bowls and enjoy!
Notes
For my Weight Watchers friends, the serving size is 1 1/2 cups and is 1 WW point so long as you use ground turkey OR 90% lean (or higher) ground beef.
Looking for more great chili recipes? I’ve got you: