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Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin chili with ground beef, black beans, kidney beans, and pumpkin puree for extra body without a strong pumpkin flavor. Simmered until the spices meld, then served with sour cream, cheddar, and jalapeño.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420

Ingredients
  

Ground beef or turkey
  • 1.5 lb ground beef or turkey
Pumpkin puree
  • 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
Black beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained
Kidney beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained
Diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
Rotel tomatoes
  • 1 can (10 oz) Rotel tomatoes
Onion
  • 1 onion, diced
Garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
Beef broth
  • 2 cup beef broth
Chili powder
  • 3 tbsp chili powder
Cumin
  • 2 tsp cumin
Smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
Cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
Sour cream
  • 1 sour cream for serving
Cheddar
  • 1 cheddar for serving
Jalapeño
  • 1 jalapeño for serving
Salt and pepper
  • 0.25 tsp salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the meat
  1. Brown the ground beef or turkey in a large pot over medium-high heat, stirring often, until no pink remains and juices look reduced. Drain the fat so the chili isn’t greasy.
Bloom the spices
  1. Sauté the onion for 4 minutes until softened, then add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
Simmer the chili
  1. Add the pumpkin puree, diced tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, and beef broth to the pot, then bring the mixture to a boil. Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.
  2. Reduce the heat to low so the chili gently bubbles, then simmer for 25-30 minutes until the flavors meld and slightly thicken. The pumpkin adds body without a strong flavor.
Finish and serve
  1. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then stir and taste again for balance. Serve topped with sour cream, cheddar, and jalapeño.

Notes

Pro tip: after adding the broth, bring the chili back to a full boil before reducing—this helps dissolve spices evenly. Store leftovers in the fridge up to 4 days in a covered container; freeze up to 3 months. For a lighter swap, use ground turkey instead of beef while keeping the same spices and beans.