Okay, so Pumpkin Chili. Its a thing, and its delicious. Fall is right around the corner for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. And with fall comes a lot of fantastic things. Including Pumpkin. What people sometimes fail to realise, there is so much more to Pumpkin than a latte from Starbucks. Without further ado, here is how you make Pumpkin Chili. Oh. It has beans in it. Sorry. Except not. Because its delicious.
This recipe is for a pretty large stock pot worth, but can be adjusted pretty easily.
Start by browning ground beef and ground pork. I usually do 2 parts beef, 1 part pork. I would recommend using ground Pork over sausage, since it comes with a bunch of seasonings, but the sage kind would work in a pinch. I’d avoid the maple one though. Drain what ever fat there is, and add some diced onion. I put in half now and half later. Once the onion is cooked down a bit, add a few cloves of minced garlic. I’m of the opinion there is no such thing as too much garlic, but you do you.
Now, this recipe is meant to be easy, so its mostly canned things here. So from here, dump in a can (or 2, depending on the size of pot) of Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, Diced tomato, and White Hominy (drained). You can use your judgement here, this is what I generally add to mine, you could probably switch up the bean types, white beans might be nice. You could also skip the hominy, but Chili is about textures to me, so this adds a little variance. This is also when the Pumpkin comes in. Add 2 big cans of pumpkin puree. Or fresh puree if you have it. I’ve used both. Chunks of fresh roasted pumpkin is quite lovely.
As this comes up to temperature, this is where we can get our spice on. Seasoning (salt and pepper) could have started by now, which would be totally fine. I do this part by taste, so we will see how this part goes. I start with 2T Chili Powder, Slightly less Cumin than chili powder, A few healthy dashes of garlic powder, Red pepper if I have it, Several shakes of red pepper flakes, some Worcestershire Sauce, and some shakes of what ever hot sauce happens to be in the fridge (usually sriracha and Chulula at minimum). I’ll let that simmer for a bit, and give it a taste. What I’m usually looking for is a sweet in the start and a lingering heat. I’ll almost definitely end up adding more red pepper flakes, and a little more hot sauce, also, oregano will end up in here, just a few shakes. Nothing crazy. Sometimes I’ll add a tiny bit of brown sugar, but usually the pumpkin does well enough with that sweetness. about a half an hour before I serve it, I’ll add the rest of the onion. I like a little crunch of the not all the way cooked onion, but that’s a preference thing. You could add it sooner so they are less crunchy.
I’ve never done this, but if you wanted a thinner chili, you could probably use stock to thin it out a bit, and just compensate with a bit more of the heat elements, and a little less of the salt elements. Before long, you should have a lovely orangey hued chili with a sweet/heat flavour. Ladle it up, top with cheddar cheese and sour cream (if that’s your thing) and have at it.
| Shopping List: | Pantry Things: |
|---|---|
| Ground Beef | Salt & Pepper |
| Ground Pork | Chili Powder |
| Onion | Cumin |
| Garlic | Red Pepper Flakes |
| Kidney Beans | Various Hot Sauces |
| Pinto Beans | Worcestershire Sauce |
| White Hominy | Oregano |
| Pumpkin Puree | |
| Diced Tomatoes |
The Oven Mitts Are On 