Pumpkin Turkey Chili.

 

September is here and I may be jumping the gun but it’s pumpkin time to me!  I know I’ve gotten a lot of heat about jumping on the pumpkin bandwagon too early but I am a pumpkin fanatic and once school starts… GAME ON!  This recipe can be made with or without ground turkey if you’re looking for a vegetarian option.  I made this for my family so I went the meat route (total carnivores) – if I were making this for me, I would’ve omitted it and added more beans.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of lean ground turkey
Olive oil
1 medium sized yellow onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
14 ounce can of pumpkin puree
14 ounce can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly – if making the vegetarian option add an additional can of beans.
15 ounce can of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of stock (meat version – you chicken stock for the vegetarian option use vegetable stock)
2 teaspoons of chili powder (I used Chipotle chili powder)
3 teaspoons of ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
Pinch of cayenne (or more if you like heat)

Optional toppings:

Diced jalapeños
Shredded cheddar cheese
Diced red onions
Sliced avocado

Directions:

Into your Dutch oven, over medium heat, add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Then add the meat (once hot).  Cook the meat, breaking it up as you go.  This should take about 8 minutes.  Once that is fully cooked throughout, add the diced onions and peppers.  Cook for several minutes or until the onions are translucent.  Then add the remaining ingredients.  Stir well.  Cover and reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes or more. I normally let it simmer for a few hours.  Serve with corn muffins for the perfect fall dinner.  Easy one pot meal!

 

— Knead to Cook