Weekend Pumpkin Chili
A weekend beef and pumpkin chili that’s slow simmered so the flavors are extra delicious. This is the perfect way to use pumpkin in a hearty chili recipe.
Servings: 6 -8 servings
Ingredients
Pumpkin Chili:
- 1- 1 ½ pound lean ground beef turkey or chicken works too (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 jalapeños diced (with seeds and ribs removed)
- 4-6 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon EACH cumin AND chili powder feel free to add more chili to liking!
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 14.5 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 15 ounce can pumpkin
- 2 14.5 ounce cans beans (black, red kidney, pinto, etc)
- 1 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
- 1- 1 ½ cups water or broth or any cooking liquid, really -- coffee works really well!
For serving:
- sour cream chopped cilantro, green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, lime wedges -- or my personal favorite, Fritos and chopped onions
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the ground meat and crumble. Allow it to brown completely, about 4-5 minutes. If you have excess grease, drain. Add the onions, bell pepper, jalapeños, and garlic to the pot and brown for 4-7 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- STOVE TOP: Add all the remaining chili ingredients to the pot and allow to come to a simmer before covering and lowering the heat. Allow to simmer for 1 hour. Check to see if the chili needs additional liquid at this time, you may need a little more water or broth. Allow the chili to simmer for another hour or until the veggies soften. If adding quinoa, fold it in and allow to simmer for an additional 5 minutes to just head it through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- SLOW COOKER: Transfer the browned beef mixture to a slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients for the chili, stir, cover and allow to cook on the high setting for 3-4 hours OR on the low setting for 6-8 hours. If adding quinoa, do so in the last 10-15 minutes or the cooking time. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve chili topped with your favorite toppings!
Notes
- I like to use 1 pound of ground beef for this recipe along with 1 ½ cups of cooked quinoa that I fold in right at the end.
- I know the pumpkin spice sounds weird but trust me. There is zero weirdness with it being in the recipe!
