Pumpkin Chipotle Chili

I love the fall. I love the weather, the leaves, sweaters and pumpkin flavored delights. I'd seen recipes for pumpkin chili in the past but I've never tried them - until now. This easy slow cooker chili combines familiar Thanksgiving flavors with smoky chipotle. Delicious.

If you're all turkeyed out, feel free to use ground beef. If you're a vegetarian or vegan leave the meat out all together, use 3 cans of beans and substitute vegetable stock. I used a slow cooker to make the chili. It was so easy to throw the ingredients in in the morning and then come home to chili all ready to eat. That said, you could easily make this on a stove top too. See stove top tips below.

Also, I HIGHLY recommend that you serve this over roasted butternut squash instead of rice. Roasted sweet potato would also work well.

What you'll need:

1 package ground turkey (~1 lb)

2 bell peppers (yellow or orange) - diced

1 medium onion (yellow or red) - diced

2 cloves garlic - minced

olive oil (drizzle)

1 can pumpkin puree - NOT pumpkin pie filling (15 oz)

1 can fire roasted tomatoes (15 oz)

1 can black beans (15 oz) - drained and rinsed

1 Tbs paprika

1 Tbs + 1 tsp cumin

1 Tbs oregano

1 Tbs chipotle chili powder (I used 1 1/2 but it was pretty hot. I recommend starting with 1 Tbs and adding more later if you like)

1 Tbs brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 bay leaf

2 tsp salt

black pepper

chicken stock (about 1/2 of 1 qt box - more if you are doing this on the stove top)

1 handful chopped fresh cilantro + more for garnish

How to do it:

This recipe is so great because it only requires a little chopping and browning.Then you get to sit back and wait for your delicious and healthy meal. First, dice the onion and peppers and mince the garlic.



I had 1/2 yellow onion and 1/2 red onion leftover in the fridge, so I used a combo.



Next, lightly coat a hot pan with olive oil and brown the ground turkey. Once it has firmed up a bit add it to your slow cooker.

Now you want to add your onions and garlic to the pan and saute them quickly. You don't want to get any color on them or cook them very much. This is just to take some of the bite out of these ingredients, which can be pungent. Add the onions, garlic and raw diced peppers to the slow cooker.

OK, now it's time for everything else to go in. Add the pumpkin, tomatoes, beans, paprika, cumin, oregano, chipotle, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaf, salt and a few turns of black pepper. Stir it well.

Pour in enough chicken stock to cover. Keep in mind that the slow cooker traps in moisture so the chili liquid wont really reduce the way it would on the stove top.

Cover and cook on low. Since I was going to be at work all day set my slow cooker's timer for 8 hours and then it switches to warm. I recommend that you let the slow cooker do it's thing for at least 4-5 hours.

When you're almost ready to eat, remove the cover and let it cook on low a bit. This will allow some of the liquid to evaporate and the chili will thicken up a bit. Taste the chili and see if it needs a bit more chili powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. If it did get too dry for your liking add more chicken stock.

Right before you're ready to eat add the cilantro. Serve over roasted butternut squash and offer a selection of garnishes, such as cilantro, chopped raw red onion, shredded cheese and tortilla chips. As you can see, I opted for all of the above. Enjoy!

Tips for stove top prep:

If you don't have a slow cooker or want to make this in a shorter amount of time, here's how:

1. Brown turkey.

2. Add onions and garlic, saute until they start to soften.

3. Add peppers and cook for 1 minute or so.

4. Reduce heat and add pumpkin through black pepper. Stir well.

5. Add chicken stock. The liquid will reduce during the cooking time so make it a bit soupier than you want your final result to be.

6. Simmer for an hour... but longer is always better. If you cook it for more than an hour cover it partially with a lid.

7. Add cilantro.

8. Eat and enjoy!