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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.