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This comforting Pumpkin Chili is the perfect food to enjoy this fall. Made with ground beef, pinto beans and pumpkin puree. It is rich in flavor and just the right amount of spice.
Pumpkin Chili
This Pumpkin Chili is the perfect food to enjoy this fall. It’s so rich in flavors and just so warm and comforting. This chili has the best parts of the season in one meal. The taste of pumpkin in a bowl of comfort.
This chili is made with ground beef, pinto beans and homemade pumpkin puree. It also calls for beef bone broth which is extremely healthy and nutritious. Beef bone broth also adds so much more flavor to this recipe. As if this chili couldn’t get any better, it comes together in less than 15 minutes.
Make sure you add this Pumpkin Chili to your list of recipes to try this fall. You are sure going to want to add it to your weekly meal plan this season. It’s perfect to make on a chilly night when you don’t have much time to cook but still want a comforting homemade meal. Perfect for Sunday football too! The whole family is sure to love this Pumpkin Chili.
What you need to make this Pumpkin Chili:
Ingredients:
- Ground Beef
- Pumpkin
- Pumpkin Puree
- Pinto Beans
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Bell Pepper (I like using Green and Orange for colors)
- Diced Tomatoes
- Beef Bone Broth
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Pink Salt
- Chili Powder
- Dried Oregano
- Fresh Sage
- Black Pepper
- Cayenne
- Olive Oil
Equipment:
- Large Pot
- Stirring Spoon or Spatula
How to make Pumpkin Chili:
- Start by prepping pumpkin; cut top and bottom off of pumpkin. Slice pumpkin in half lengthwise. Use a spoon or ice cream scooper to clean out the inside of pumpkin. Peel the skin off the pumpkin using a vegetable peeler. Cube pumpkin and measure put 2 cups for chili.
- Next, prep the rest of ingredients; Dice onion, jalapeño, and bell pepper. Mince your garlic and thinly slice sage leaves. Drain and rinse pinto beans.
- Place a large pot on stovetop and drizzle with olive oil. Bring to a heat on medium-high. Toss in onions and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Until onion starts to translucent.
- Stir in bell pepper and jalapeño and continue to sauté. Stir in pumpkin and continue to sauté for another 5-7 minutes until pumpkin starts to soften. Add ground beef. Using a stirring soon, break ground beef down until minced. Keep cooking until browned. It’ll take about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle your spices and herbs; cumin, paprika, pink salt, dried oregano, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and sage. Give beef and veggies a good stir making sure all the spices and herbs are well incorporated into them.
- Add in pumpkin puree and diced tomatoes. Make sure everything is well combined then pour in beef bone broth. Bring to a simmer and once chili is boiling add in pinto beans and lime juice. Give chili a good stir.
- Bring heat down to low and cover chili (preferably move pot to simmer burner on stove if you have one and turn heat to low). Allow to continue simmering for 90 minutes to 2 hours. The longer the more flavor the chili will build up. Taste and adjust salt and other spices if needed.
- Serve and give chili another squeeze of lime juice if desired. Garnish with sliced jalapeño and fresh cilantro. Can also serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and chips. Enjoy!
Tips and Substitutions:
- Use a pot that’s large enough- You want to use a pot that’s at least 5.5 quarts. This will give you enough room to sauté, stir and for chili to simmer.
- Be sure to mince and brown beef first- This will release so much flavor and improve the overall texture of the chili.
- Switch up your beef for other meat- You can also use ground turkey or chicken if you prefer.
- Add your spices in the beginning per recipe instructions- Spices and herbs release so much flavor as they cook. Adding them in the beginning will add so much more flavor to your chili. You can adjust your seasoning more to your liking as you go or at the end when chili is ready.
- Don’t skip on adding lime juice- The acid from the lime helps bring out so much flavor. You can always add apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or lemon juice if you don’t have lime juice.
- Preferably move pot to simmer burner on stove if you have one and turn heat to low- This is a smaller burner and only heats chili enough to simmer preventing any of the ingredients from stick to the bottom of the pan and burning.
- Switch up your pumpkin- You can use any kind of pumpkin for this recipe. You can even substitute for any other squash such as butternut squash. Sweet potato makes for a great substitute as well.
- Substitute for beef bone broth- You can use any other broth such as beef, chicken or vegetable.
- Can I use canned pumpkin puree?- Yes. You can use either canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
How to store your Pumpkin Chili:
Store any leftover Pumpkin Chili in any container with an airtight lid. Keep refrigerated for up to 4 days. This chili also freezes great. I always pour it in a large wide-mouth mason jar (leave enough space on top for chili to expand). Thaw out in fridge or in a bowl with cold water. Place back in pan and reheat on stovetop. You can keep frozen for up to 3 months.
Meal Prepping it:
This Pumpkin Chili takes less than 15 minutes to prep and comes together in no time. Just do some prep work and leave it to simmer for a couple of hours. It’s great to add to your meal plan for the week. Dice your veggies ahead of time and keep them prepped in the fridge.
What broth can I substitute beef bone broth with?
Beef bone broth is great to use in this recipe or almost any other recipe that calls for broth. Beef bone broth is highly nutritious and has many health benefits. Especially if it’s homemade broth. However, using store bought beef bone broth for this recipe is just fine. If you don’t have beef bone broth you can also use vegetable or beef broth instead. Even chicken broth is a great substitute for beef bone broth in this recipe as it gives it a great flavor.
Can I use canned pumpkin puree instead of homemade pumpkin puree?
Homemade pumpkin puree is fresh and gives this chili a great flavor. If you want to make this chili quickly and don’t have any homemade pumpkin puree using canned works too. Since canned pumpkin puree is much thicken than homemade it does give the chili a thicker consistency and texture as well.
Fan of pumpkin? You may also like these other savory pumpkin recipes:
Did you like this Pumpkin Chili recipe? You may also like these other chili recipes:
Pumpkin Chili
This comforting Pumpkin Chili is the perfect food to enjoy this fall. Made with ground beef, pinto beans and pumpkin puree. It is rich in flavor and just the right amount of spice.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion (diced)
- 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 2 bell peppers (diced)
- 3 jalapeños (seeded and diced)
- 2 cups cubed pumpkin
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp pink salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 sage leaves (thinly sliced)
- 15 oz diced tomatoes
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup beef bone broth
- 15 oz pinto beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Instructions
-
Start by prepping pumpkin; cut top and bottom off of pumpkin. Slice pumpkin in half lengthwise. Use a spoon or ice cream scooper to clean out the inside of pumpkin. Peel the skin off the pumpkin using a vegetable peeler. Cube pumpkin and measure put 2 cups for chili.
-
Next, prep the rest of ingredients; Dice onion, jalapeño, and bell pepper. Mince your garlic and thinly slice sage leaves. Drain and rinse pinto beans.
-
Place a large pot on stovetop and drizzle with olive oil. Bring to a heat on medium-high. Toss in onions and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Until onion starts to translucent.
-
Stir in bell pepper and jalapeño and continue to sauté. Stir in pumpkin and continue to sauté for another 5-7 minutes until pumpkin starts to soften. Add ground beef. Using a stirring soon, break ground beef down until minced. Keep cooking until browned. It'll take about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle your spices and herbs; cumin, paprika, pink salt, dried oregano, chili powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and sage. Give beef and veggies a good stir making sure all the spices and herbs are well incorporated into them.
-
Add in pumpkin puree and diced tomatoes. Make sure everything is well combined then pour in beef bone broth. Bring to a simmer and once chili is boiling add in pinto beans and lime juice. Give chili a good stir.
-
Bring heat down to low and cover chili (preferably move pot to simmer burner on stove if you have one and turn heat to low). Allow to continue simmering for 90 minutes to 2 hours. The longer the more flavor the chili will build up. Taste and adjust salt and other spices if needed.
-
Serve and give chili another squeeze of lime juice if desired. Garnish with sliced jalapeño and fresh cilantro. Can also serve with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and chips. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Tips and Substitutions:
- Use a pot that’s large enough- You want to use a pot that’s at least 5.5 quarts. This will give you enough room to sauté, stir and for chili to simmer.
- Be sure to mince and brown beef first- This will release so much flavor and improve the overall texture of the chili.
- Switch up your beef for other meat- You can also use ground turkey or chicken if you prefer.
- Add your spices in the beginning per recipe instructions- Spices and herbs release so much flavor as they cook. Adding them in the beginning will add so much more flavor to your chili. You can adjust your seasoning more to your liking as you go or at the end when chili is ready.
- Don’t skip on adding lime juice- The acid from the lime helps bring out so much flavor. You can always add apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or lemon juice if you don’t have lime juice.
- Preferably move pot to simmer burner on stove if you have one and turn heat to low- This is a smaller burner and only heats chili enough to simmer preventing any of the ingredients from stick to the bottom of the pan and burning.
- Switch up your pumpkin- You can use any kind of pumpkin for this recipe. You can even substitute for any other squash such as butternut squash. Sweet potato makes for a great substitute as well.
- Substitute for beef bone broth- You can use any other broth such as beef, chicken or vegetable.
- Can I use canned pumpkin puree?- Yes. You can use either canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.
**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used.
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.
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