Recipe: $14.19 | Per Serving: $1.77 | Yield: 8 | Jump to Recipe

Alas! The much-anticipated Pumpkin Chili recipe! A favorite among my friends and clients, this super flavorful recipe combines two fall loves: comfort food and pumpkin.

This post is 2+ years in the making, and for that, I apologize. It’s also late in the season – it’s nearly December – so I know I missed the pumpkin train this fall. As my brother said, chili is a winter staple, and it will be winter welllll into February!

I came up with this Pumpkin Chili recipe in the fall of 2016, and it quickly became my favorite chili recipe, but by the time I had made it a few times, it felt too late in the season to post it, so I held onto it all year, and then completely forgot about the fact that I’d never posted it.

Once the weather started cooling off last fall, I was really really ready for pumpkin chili, but WHERE was the recipe? Why wasn’t it on my site? OH! It was saved to my computer, which had just crashed about a week prior to craving this recipe.

In a super rapid ninja mission to acquire this recipe from my nearly dead computer, I managed to save it from the hard drive and I made it immediately, and I was immediately rewarded with its simplicity and perfection.

Friends, it is so good. Pumpkin puree adds a new consistency to the chili, and makes it both heartier and more flavorful. Maybe I just love chili after two decades without ever trying it, or maybe this recipe is too legit to quit. I’m not sure, but its definitely one of those reasons.

So in honor of the very end of November, here, at last, is my favorite chili recipe. Made with PUMPKIN!

Feeling ambitious? Consider making your own pumpkin puree. You can also add broth or more diced tomatoes if you prefer a thinner, soup-like consistency.

Vegetarian: You can absolutely skip the meat in this recipe! (It is only 2ish ounces per serving, so just replace it with more beans.)
Paleo: Skip the beans! You could add some sweet potatoes or other vegetables to bulk it up, or a little more meat. I recommend stirring in 1-2 pounds of cauliflower rice. For Whole30, skip the beans and add more beef or cauliflower rice.

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Easy Pumpkin Chili (With Turkey or Beef)

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• Author: Caitlin
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 1x

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Description

This easy Pumpkin Chili recipe is great for fall, and a perfect real food comfort meal!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef or turkey
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons salt (plus more to taste)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 15-oz cans pumpkin puree
• 2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes
• 4 cups black beans or kidney beans (I used a mix of both)
• 10 cups of washed and chopped kale

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Instructions

1. In a large pot, brown the ground beef with a bit of the salt. (Optional: you can drain off some of the fat once cooked.) Add the onion and cook about 3 minutes, or until fragrant.
2. Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, and all the spices (salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon) and stir well. Cook about 1 minute to integrate the spices.
3. Add the pumpkin puree, tomatoes, and beans. Stir well and bring to a light boil.
4. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook covered for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
5. In the last 10 minutes of cooking, stir in the kale.
6. Serve as is or top with desired toppings. I like Greek yogurt, avocado, and cilantro!

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Notes

This recipe makes approximately 8 15-oz servings (which is one standard salsa jar!).

Nutrition Label is for 8 servings.