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Pumpkin Chilli

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A hearty and protein packed chilli that is just what you need to warm you up on a cool autumn evening. It makes use of seasonal pumpkin, bursting with beans, and a little kick from some smokey chipotle. Serve this Pumpkin Chilli with rice, a chunk of bread, or eat the leftovers on a baked potato.

Pumpkin Chilli title picture

I know that once November arrives everyone is pretty much over pumpkin recipes. Everyone is ready to start thinking about Christmas (no? too soon?), but this pumpkin chilli was so good that I just couldn’t wait until next year to share it. So, whilst pumpkins are still in season, we will be sharing pumpkin recipes! This would be a great recipe to make use of the inside of pumpkins that you scoop out for carving, so keep it in mind for next year.

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 Top down view of Pumpkin Chilli

You guys know we are all about food traditions in our house. Well, one of our traditions is to make a big pot of chilli on bonfire night and when we get back from watching the fire works, we heat it up and enjoy a big bowl of it to warm ourselves up.

Now, if you are reading this from outside the UK, then you might be a bit confused about what bonfire/fireworks night is. Basically, it’s a night (on November 5th) that we go and stand in a field and watch a big bonfire and fireworks display on the anniversary that a dude called Guy Fawkes tried to blow up our government building many years ago (1605 to be precise). Even more confused? It’s a bit of an odd “celebration”, but we love it here in the UK and for me personally it marks the beginning of the festive season.

Pumpkin Chilli with Salsa

We are in full comfort food and batch cooking mode and this pumpkin chilli ticks both of those boxes. This chilli is packed with meat (you can use a vegetarian/vegan mince instead), beans and pumpkin to make it super filling and it’s easy to make a huge batch of it and portion it out in to the freezer for a quick weeknight meal. We made another version without as much chilli (as this one has a bit of a kick to it) and Avery really loved it. She loves beans and squash, so this was a new way for her to enjoy it.

Top down shot of Pumpkin Chilli

For this, we served it with rice, salsa and guacamole (obviously) here, but we had loads of leftovers and enjoyed it various ways. We loaded it on to a baked potato with some grated cheese, we added it to tortilla wraps to make a burritto and we even used it to make some nachos. We cooked it up with some scrambled eggs for a filling breakfast and we made a hash type meal with some other leftover vegetables too. There really is so much that you can do with the leftovers of this, so be sure to make a big batch.

Speaking of baked potatoes, if you love them then you will want to keep and eye on the blog later this week as we are sharing 10 healthy baked potato toppings to keep you going all the way through winter.

Pumpkin Chilli with salsa

If you don’t like pumpkin, or can’t find any because someone has bought them all for carving, then you can use any kind of squash. Use a few different ones and get creative, or you could just use sweet potato instead. Or maybe a mix of sweet potato and squash. Seriously, never feel like you have to follow the recipe exactly, as they are so easy to adapt and you can make use of what you have available, or what gets sent in your vegetable box.

Guacamole on Pumpkin Chilli

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Landscape shot of Pumpkin Chilli
Print
Pumpkin Chilli
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 

This Pumpkin Chilli is a hearty and protein packed chilli that is just what you need to warm you up on a cold autumn evening.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 323 kcal
Author: Dannii
Ingredients
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 500 g lean beef mince
  • 1 small pumpkin, skin removed and cut in to small chunks
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
  • 8 mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 x 300g can of haricot beans
  • 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
  • 4 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp chipotle en abobo (less if you don't want it spicy)
  • A pinch of sea salt and black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp each of: cumin, paprika, ground coriander and dried oregano
Instructions
  1. Add the oil to a pan and once hot, add the onions, beef mince, mushrooms and pumpkin and cook gently for around 4 minutes until the beef has browned.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients and reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
  3. Serve with rice, guacamole and salsa (optional).
Nutrition Facts
Pumpkin Chilli
Amount Per Serving (1 portion (chilli only))
Calories 323 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g 15%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Sodium 402mg 17%
Potassium 250mg 7%
Total Carbohydrates 16g 5%
Dietary Fiber 8g 32%
Sugars 8g
Protein 40g 80%
Vitamin A 49%
Vitamin C 9%
Calcium 1%
Iron 3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

Landscape shot of Pumpkin Chilli

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Comments

  6. This sounds delicious! Chilli is one of my favourite meals and I would never have thought of using pumpkin in this way,

    Reply

  18. I’m not a a chilli fan but my husband is and I am sure he would love this recipe. The idea of using pumpkin makes for an interesting taste and a great way to use up left overs.

    Reply

  19. The weather has really turned recently and I am craving comforting meals like this. I shall add this to our next meal plan. I like the idea of mixing squash too.

    Reply

  20. I have never eaten pumpkin before and I must admit that I do tend to throw away the insides after carving the pumpkin. I will have to try this when my husband and sons are out, as I am not sure they would be so keen.

    Reply

  24. Considering I just looked at another pumpkin dish before I got here,I will say I enjoy chili and while I would skip pumpkin,
    I do like the squash idea…..its not as sweet as pumpkin.

    Reply

  31. This recipe sounds amazing. I’ve never cooked pumpkin before, but it sounds like it could be pretty easy to whip up in the kitchen. I’m now craving Mexican food. Yum!

    Reply

  33. YES!!! Pumpkin’s are for autumn/winter, not just for Halloween! I’ve got to clear my allotment of them this weekend, this may well be making it onto my menu next week 🙂
    Jane x

    Reply

  38. What a great way to add even more veggies into your chilli! I really love all the different tastes and textures whenever I add pumpkin/ sweet potato into something like this.

    Reply

  40. This would have been a great way to use up the inside of the pumpkin. We made your autumn pumpkin smoothie with it and it was delicious.
    Chipotle on chilli sounds really good too.

    Reply

  41. It would be great to have some more recipes like this that can be heated up at work and easily transported. Thanks.

    Reply

  42. We usually do jacket potatoes on bonfire night, but this year we did chilli too and it went down really well. Next year I will add pumpkin to it to make it a bit healthier. I grated some dark chocolate in to mine and that worked really well.

    Reply