First off, you don't taste the pumpkin! The spices completely neutralize the flavor. Secondly, the pumpkin adds a wonderful silkiness to the chili. Similar to how it would feel if you melted a block of Velveeta into it. Thirdly, pumpkin is sooooo good for you. Extra nutrition for you family, and they won't even know it!
I served this with corn bread. Yum! To make this vegetarian, just leave out the meat and add another can of beans and more veggies.
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Source: Whole Foods
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped, optional
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 lb. ground white or dark meat turkey
1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes, with their liquid
1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin puree
1 cup water
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, jalapenos, if using, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned. Add tomatoes, pumpkin, water, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add beans. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes more. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.
Tip: Whatever you do, make sure you use plain pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling. Yuck!
6 comments:
Anyone try this in the crockpot yet?
I haven't made this in a slow cooker, but I don't see why it wouldn't work well. Just brown the turkey on the stove and then dump all the ingredients in the cooker and cook on low all day. Since the slow cooker is such a moist environment, you might want to skip the water. Add it at the end if you think the chili is too thick. Let me know how it turns out!
I'm making it Friday, so I'll let you know. Also, I just want to thank you so much for this site. At 9 months, we're starting trials and my son seems to have grown out of MSPI! But, your recipes are so great, I plan to keep making them :)
This worked out great in the slow cooker! Like you suggested, I browned the meat first, and didn't add the water. Then mixed it all (minus the olive oil) in the slow cooker. I made a double batch and it fit well in my large slow cooker. It cooked for about 7 hours on low.
I also made a few modifications for our taste and my convenience. I used a 4oz can of diced green chiles (mild) in the double batch, instead of jalapenos. And beef instead of turkey. Plus, half the chili powder and half the cumin I should have used. And black beans for my second can of beans.
Next time, I'll dice the onion and green bell pepper finer so my pre-schooler can't spot the veggies. He never guessed the pumpkin though!
That's great! Thanks for sharing!
This is the best chili I've ever made! I was a bit skeptical since I tend to prefer beef over turkey; however it was so good, I didn't miss the beef! My hubby loved it. I also made it in the crock pot. The only changes I did I was added a can of pinto beans and a little brown sugar. Thanks so much for a delicious, easy and super healthy recipe! The pumpkin is genius!
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