Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

You need this pumpkin chili recipe in your life

Give this favorite fall dish a pumpkin twist with this amazing chili recipe

By

When we think of pumpkin as an ingredient, our minds tend to settle on all of the wonderful fall sweet treats and desserts it can provide — pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice lattes, any number of warm, fresh-from-the-oven autumn breads and cookies. This time of year, there’s no shortage of pumpkin in all of its autumnal dessert glory, and we obviously love it. But because pumpkin is such a star of the sweet world, we can tend to forget that it shines just as magnificently as a savory ingredient. Pumpkin offers a smooth, gentle richness when prepared in savory applications. Its velvety texture and earthy notes can give dishes like soups and chilis a total fall glow-up. And this pumpkin chili recipe is a perfect example.

We all love a good chili in the fall. Dish us up a big bowl, put some football on TV, and we’re set for the day. But with the addition of pumpkin to this fall favorite, you get something truly special. The wholesome and healthy, decadently delicious addition of pumpkin elevates your chili from standard to spectacular.

Recommended Videos

Pumpkin chili recipe

Well Plated

(From Well Plated)

Related

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced
  • 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 pounds ground turkey
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 15-ounce can reduced sodium pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
  • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes in their juices
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • Sliced jalapeno, avocado, chopped cilantro, red onion, and/or non-dairy plain yogurt, for serving (optional)

Method:

  1. Over medium heat, heat oil in a large pot. Add onion, sweet potato, bell peppers, and garlic. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until soft.
  2. Add turkey, salt, and pepper, and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes, stirring to break up the meat.
  3. Add chili powders, cumin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir and cook about 30 seconds.
  4. Add beans, pumpkin, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and 1 cup chicken broth.
  5. Simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the chili thickens. If the chili becomes too thick, add additional broth to reach your desired consistency.

This chili can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days, meaning you’ve got a delicious, hearty meal at the ready for those lazy nights after a long day at work. Just put your leftovers in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat on the stovetop until it’s warm (or if you’re really feeling lazy, opt for the microwave). And if you’ve really made too much, it will keep in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to three months. Just let it thaw out in the refrigerator overnight before reheating, and you’ve got the perfect meal for tomorrow night’s dinner.

Editors’ Recommendations

Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay Parrill
Contributor
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
Expand your Tiki cocktail skills with this Don’s Mix recipe
This Tiki ingredient is easy to make at home
A glass of pineapple Tiki style cocktail.

Tiki cocktails are a world unto themselves, and with their tropical flavors, bright colors, and elaborate garnishes they're the perfect antidote to a dull, grey winter feeling. While going to a Tiki bar is always a good time, you might also be interested in mixing your favorite Tiki drinks at home. But if you've ever looked into the cocktail recipes, you'll know that they can be complex.

Tiki recipes often call for multiple types of rum, plus fruit juices like pineapple that you might not have on hand. These are all things you can buy from the store, however. Where it can get trickier is with some of the specialty ingredients you see called for, like orgeat syrup or Don's Mix. But the good news is that while these ingredients might be uncommon, they are easy enough to make at home.

Read more
Make your life easier with batched cocktails for Thanksgiving
Make large quantities of tasty drinks with flavors of apple and cinnamon to please a crowd
make your life easier with batched cocktails for thanksgiving hudson apple of my eye

The holidays are a wonderful time for catching up with family and friends, but they can be stressful too. Particularly if you're hosting and you're planning to cook, then you likely won't have much time to dedicate to make individual cocktails for each of your guests. And that can feel like a shame, as the great joy in making drinks is getting to share them with other people.

However, there is a solution to this hosting dilemma, and it's pre-batching your drinks ahead of time. If you plan in advance you can make your drinks before your guests even arrive, then have a pitcher or punch bowl from which people can help themselves. It's a fun and low-stress way to make drinks for a crowd, and you just need to make sure you pick an appropriate drink for batching. Stay away from anything with cream or dairy that could go off, and opt for easy crowd-pleasing seasonal flavors like apple, cinnamon, and maple syrup.

Read more
Serve Cognac and Champagne at your next party for the ultimate indulgence
These two grape-based drinks are a marriage made in heaven
cognac champagne cocktail martingale ft 2 blog1023 27aac5c3e11645a2a15c65024e29b02a jpg

Cognac is one of those spirits that can be a little intimidating. Unlike vodka, gin, or tequila, it's not something most people have drunk as shots because it's not something that's typically available cheaply. Rather, it's a sophisticated spirit with a high pedigree, and that can make it challenging to get to know it. However, cognac needn't be scary or off-limits, and it's a great ingredient to mix into cocktails. Its rich and fruity flavors elevate even simple combinations, and a judicious use of it in the right place will go a long way.

There's the classic Sidecar cocktail which makes use of cognac in a way that's almost universally popular, by combining its bold flavors with the easy-going appeal of citrus. But it's also a terrific spirit to mix with Champagne, as the combination of grape-based drinks makes for a luxurious and indulgent mix that will make any party go with a pop.
Double Down

Read more