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You can all thank my sister Karami for this recipe – and introducing me to how amazing pumpkin is in chili. Pumpkin chili might just be one of my new favourite things. Yes, we all might be “over” the pumpkin craze now because it’s November and technically we are moving on to bigger, more Christmas-y things. I must confess however that I am a pumpkin lover all year-long.
How to Make Pumpkin Chili
Sometimes it seems thanks to (wonderful) things like Pinterest and Facebook that we are besieged by everything in season and then…crickets. I honestly have started to tune out all of the pumpkin recipes that are all over the place come September and October. I want to eat pumpkin year round and not just when Starbucks releases their pumpkin spice latte and we all go crazy for it.Thus my writing up of a pumpkin chili recipe in mid-November. Man, I’m such a rebel.
The secret to an amazing soup, chili or stew is to puree a small amount of it at the end to thicken it up. I haven’t bought a new hand blender in years and the one I have now works well, but this one is infinitely better. We used it at my sisters to blend up the chili in a rather small pot, without making a mess. Remember that secret of mine : always blend in a small amount at the end of cooking and you’ll have the best tasting chili/soup ever!
This chili is pretty darn fast to make and it’s healthy to boot. You use a can of pumpkin puree ( not pie filling!) which helps to thicken it up and gives it a slight hint of pumpkin taste. You’d be surprised how it doesn’t overpower the entire chili, it simply infuses a little flavour – and a lot of health benefits – into it.
Did I mention that we add in a little cinnamon as well? Don’t be scared. It’s ok.
A bit of cinnamon in this chili is simply wonderful. You may even want to add more! Think of how cinnamon is amazing in curries and you will understand how cinnamon in a chili is a very, very good thing. I would actually add more but I didn’t want to scare my family off too much at first. Cinnamon in a chili is something that you almost mentally have to get over first.
Who would have thought pumpkin was great in chili? Not Mike, that’s for sure, yet he loved this chili. It’s going to be a new favourite this winter!
Happy cooking!
Love,
Karlynn
White Bean Pumpkin Chili
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour
- Course
- Main Course
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 310
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 large white onion diced
- 14 ounces pure pumpkin puree
- 14 ox diced tomatoes
- 19 ounces white kidney beans
- 2 tablespoons chili powder or to taste I use around 2 1/2
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons onion salt
- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
- extra salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fry ground beef and onions in the bottom of a large stock pot until the ground beef is brown and the onions are soft. Drain grease.
- Mix in the pumpkin, tomatoes, beans and spices.
- Simmer in the pot until the beans soften slightly. The longer you simmer, the more time the spices have to meld together.
- At the very end, use your hand blender to puree a small amount in the pot, (maybe a cup) this thickens the chili and makes it amazing!!!
- Serve and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Jubl says
Great recipe, thanks!![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
birdie says
I loved the cinnamon in it, thanks!![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
KDFF says
A new favourite for the fam, left out the cinnamon though, I will try that later.![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Lush says
My very favourite chili now.
Phanc says
Great recipe, thanks for writing it up. I love the trick of pureeig,![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Miller says
Great chili, wife loved it, kids were ok with it but what do they know!![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Natasha says
I will eat pumpkin anything, and this was no exception, going on the main dinner list.![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Ellie says
I echo what everyone else has said, great chili!![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
micky2 says
Looks delicious! would love to make this on a cold evening!
StephCD_ says
I love this chili!
sabina Edwards says
I’ve never been a big fan of canned soups so I tend to make my own quite a bit. The one I like to batch make the most is Cheddar Broc soup and basically I killed off a few hand mixers and the blender my daughter gave me making it. I usually use the already shredded mixture of broc and carrots (esp if I see it marked down, then I make a batch as soon as I get home ) buy some broc heads as well to toss in after its all been made into a cream and add tons and tons of quality cheddar.![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Wanda Tracey says
I love homemade potato soup.My grandma taught me how to make it. 🙂![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Josh S says
French Onion soup is my favourite and I am signed up to your newsletter.
sabina Edwards says
oh now thats something I’ve not made in a very long time!! I remember when I first made it, thought the kids would hate it and NOPE…ate it all up!!
Josh S says
French Onion soup is my favourite and I am signed up to your newsletter.
Andrea Amy says
I love minestrone 🙂
Andrea Amy says
I love minestrone 🙂
Janice Cooper says
My favorite is Cream of Broccoli soup
Janice Cooper says
My favorite is Cream of Broccoli soup
Jennifer C says
I left my email addy in the box to subscribe as I can’t seem to find the button on your page,
Jennifer C says
I left my email addy in the box to subscribe as I can’t seem to find the button on your page,
Jennifer C says
My Fave soup is French onion! YUM
Jennifer C says
My Fave soup is French onion! YUM![5 stars](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODdhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAEACAkQBADs=)
Darcy says
5 stars for the recipe posted or for your french onion soup????
Francine says
My favourite soup right now is Beef Mushroom Barley
Francine says
My favourite soup right now is Beef Mushroom Barley
Tracydeanne says
I love a squash soup!
kt3us says
I am a subscriber- kelly tupick
kt3us says
My favorite is spicy cabbage soup.
Sherri Armstrong says
I tried it and it was great even when I didn’t add tomatoes (allergic) and added a bit more water. The texture was really velvety and no one guessed the secret ingredient and loved the extra vitamins and fibre it provided.
The Kitchen Magpie says
Fabulous to hear! Yes, I forgot to mention that I don’t even bother telling the kids what’s in it haha!
AngelaMarriott says
Email subscriber
AngelaMarriott says
My favourite is turkey soup