My Easy, Healthy Crock-Pot Pumpkin Chili!

I love anything pumpkin any time of year, and not only does this pumpkin chili have pumpkin in it, but it is also crock-pot easy and very healthy! I have a couple of versions of this chili, but this one is bean-free. I love beans, but most of my family does not like beans in chili. My husband and his family are from Texas, so...no beans in chili. If you like beans, feel free to add a couple of cans. Great northern beans, pinto, and kidney beans would all be great additions to this chili.

This pumpkin chili is hearty and a little smoky and spicy. I also love the addition of cinnamon. The cinnamon flavor is not obvious, it just gives it that umami touch!

If you don't like spicy foods, leave out the spicy ingredients. Even though there are two cans of pumpkin in this chili, it is not overwhelming. Most of my family did not know that pumpkin was an ingredient in the chili until I mentioned it. Even my father-in-law who tries to avoid vegetables at all costs did not know there was pumpkin in the chili!

First, gather your ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, avocado oil, etc.

• 2 cups chopped onion, or 1 large onion

• 1 large or two medium red, yellow, or green peppers chopped

• 5-6 cloves of garlic grated or minced

• 2 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef, or ground chicken, or ground turkey

• 1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes

• 1/2 6-oz can of tomato paste

• 2 14-oz can pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

• 1/2 cup of chicken stock or more

• Optional: 2 tablespoons of Chipotles in adobo sauce blended in a blender. (Omit if you don't like spicy food). This is smoked and dried jalapeños rehydrated in a sweet and tangy sauce. *See below for a tip.

• 1 medium jalapeño finely minced. Remove the seeds to decrease the intensity of heat.

• 2 tablespoons of chili powder

• 2 tablespoons of ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander

• 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika

• 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt or to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon of back and white pepper or to taste

• 1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

• a dash of nutmeg

• optional: One can of corn, southwestern corn, etc. drained

• Shredded cheese, chips, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, green onions, salsa, cilantro, etc. to serve on the side

Southwestern corn

Use what you have. A regular can of corn will work just fine as well as frozen corn.

Note: If you want more of a tomato taste, decrease 1 can of pumpkin, and add one can of tomato product.

The Recipe:

1. Chop up the onion and peppers.

Chopped up raw onions, and bell peppers

2. Sauté the onion, and green pepper, and jalapeño pepper in olive oil over medium-high heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute or until fragrant. I like to add some salt and pepper at this point.

3. Add the ground meat. Break up the meat, and cook until almost cooked through and browned, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato paste, and stir for one minute.

4. Add the rest of the ingredients, and stir to combine. ( if your pan is too small, add the meat mixture to the crock pot, then add the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot at this point)

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*Tip: Take a whole can of Chipotles in adobo sauce and blend in a blender, and then freeze it and put in a zip-lock bag-flattened. Then take out of the freezer and break off a chunk when needed.

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5. Transfer the chili to a crock-pot/slow cooker, and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or on high for 2-3 hours. Note, if you don't want to use a slow-cooker, simmer for at least an hour on the stove.

6. Serve the chili with fixings such as cheese, sour cream or yogurt, tomatoes, green onions, salsa, cilantro or parsley, sliced avocado, chips, Pepitas, (pumpkin seeds) etc.

Pumpkin chili served with pumpkin salsa. and more!

Note: During the Fall, some stores will sell pumpkin salsa. I bought my salsa at The Fresh Market. This is the perfect accompaniment to the pumpkin chili!

Great for a crowd!

This is a recent pic from November 2021.

I made a huge pot and doubled the meat to 4 pounds.

Great for a crowd or when you want to have leftovers!

Enjoy! And Bon Appetit! 🍲