Turkey Pumpkin Chili

I’ve been making chili for as long as I can remember, but a few years ago I started making pumpkin chili and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ll be honest I was very skeptical at first mixing cinnamon into chili, but it turned about incredible. Something about cumin and chili powder mixed with cinnamon really works! This recipe is a fall favorite in my house. Try it out!

Turkey Pumpkin Chili Ingredients

Ground Turkey: I like to make this chili with ground turkey, but you can use any kind of ground meat you’d like, including classic ground beef, ground chicken, or even plant-based options like Beyond Meat.

Onion, Garlic & Peppers: Adding onion, garlic, and bell peppers to this recipe adds texture and great flavor to the chili. The key is to cook down the onion until soft and caramelizing to get that deep flavor before adding in the spices.

Sweet Potatoes: Adding sweet potatoes to this chili adds some extra substance to the recipe and takes advantage of the beautiful in-season produce this time of year. Be sure to cut them into very small pieces, no bigger than 1/2-inch cubes, in order to get them nice and soft.

Spices: The spices you’ll need for the chili include chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cinnamon, salt and black pepper. Do not skip the cinnamon, this is what will give you the pumpkin chili taste! Trust me on this one!

Kidney Beans: Red kidney beans are the typical bean used in chili, so that’s what you’ll want to use in this recipe. You could sub for another type of bean if you’d prefer, just follow the same cooking instructions.

Pumpkin Puree: We of course need pumpkin for pumpkin chili! While the pumpkin doesn’t actually add a ton of taste to the chili, the puree adds thickness and also gives you some great health benefits.

Crushed Tomatoes: A large can of crushed tomatoes is the main source of liquid for the chili. You could also use diced tomatoes, peeled tomatoes that you can break up with your hands, or even just tomato sauce if tomato pieces aren’t your thing. If you use sauce, you likely won’t need to add any water to thin it out.

Baking Soda: If you’re wondering why you’d need to add baking soda to chili, here’s why: adding baking soda actually makes the meat more tender after the protein strands are tightened during the cooking process. Go science!!

TURKEY PUMPKIN CHILI

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

4.7 from 10 votes

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

6

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Diet

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Dairty-Free

This pumpkin chili is a fall staple for me and my family, and I hope it’ll become one for yours too!

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoon chili powder

• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 green bell peppers, diced

• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (optional)

• 1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

• 1 pound ground turkey

• 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

• 15 ounce can kidney beans

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (half of a 15-ounce can)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, paprika, salt, and black pepper and set aside.
• In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once heated, add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, bell peppers, jalapeño, and sweet potatoes and cook until the bell peppers are softened and the potatoes begin to crisp on the outside, about 10 minutes.
• Clear the center of the pot and add the ground turkey. Cook, stirring often to break apart large pieces, for about 7 minutes.
• Add the spice mix, stir to coat, and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes.
• Add the crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, and pumpkin puree. Stir to combine. Add water as needed in ¼ cup increments to thin as desired.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sweet potatoes and kidney beans are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in the baking soda.
• Divide evenly among 6 bowls, top with sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, sliced jalapenos, or tortilla chips.

Notes

• Store it: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to four days or freeze for up to 3 months.
• Reheat it: Microwave until warm, about 3 minutes, or return to a small saucepan over medium-low heat until warm, about 10 minutes.
• Ground turkey: I like to make this chili with ground turkey, but you can use any kind of ground meat you’d like, including classic ground beef, ground chicken, or even plant-based options like Beyond Meat.
• Crushed tomatoes: Swap for diced tomatoes, peeled tomatoes that you can break up with your hands, or even just tomato sauce if tomato pieces aren’t your thing. If you use sauce, you likely won’t need to add any water to thin it out.
• Kidney beans: Swap for black beans or white beans, or omit if you don’t like beans.

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