Healthy Turkey Pumpkin Chili with Black Beans
The earthy pumpkin and unexpected hint of cinnamon–which enhances its flavour in a lovely way–really brings the autumn feels to this meal. I used pantry staples to keep this sweet and smoky, turkey-and-veggie-packed dish as quick and easy as possible for those busy days. If you prefer to use fresh onions and garlic, see my tip at the bottom of the recipe. Easily make it a vegan dish by omitting the turkey. Kids love to help with this one, it’s so easy for them to measure and add ingredients to the pot and stir. This chili freezes beautifully, too!
Ingredients
Chili ingredients:
- 1 lb ground turkey or chicken
- 1 19- ounce/540 mL can black beans
- 1 19- ounce/540 ml can red kidney beans
- 1 28- ounce/796 mL can diced tomatoes
- 1 15- ounce/398 mL can or about 2 cups pure pumpkin puree
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 2 tablespoons to 1/4 scant cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar optional but recommended
Spices:
- 1 3/4 to 2 tablespoons chili powder to taste
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch or two red pepper flakes to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Topping suggestions:
- Tortilla chips sliced green onions, sour cream, grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
- To a large pan, add the ground turkey and season with a little salt and pepper. Sauté over medium heat, until cooked, about 7-9 minutes.
- Meanwhile, drain and rinse the beans, open the tomatoes and collect your spices.
- Add the beans, diced tomatoes, pumpkin and corn, and stir to combine. If your diced tomatoes don’t have much liquid, or if your chili gets too thick during cooking, add a cup or so of water or broth to thin.
- For a quick cook, bring the chili to a simmer over high heat, then reduce to medium and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes, lowering the heat, if necessary. Stir in the tomato paste, starting with 2 tablespoons and adding more, to taste. Stir in the vinegar, taste, and adjust seasonings, if desired. If you have a little more time, let the chili simmer, covered, over the lowest heat for up to an hour.
- Set your toppings out and let everyone load up their servings with their own preferred toppings (kids especially like dipping tortilla chips into their bowls). Enjoy!
- Slow cooker version: Except for the vinegar, add all of the ingredients to a slow cooker, along with a cup of water of broth, and cook for 7 to 8 hours on low. Add the vinegar, taste, and adjust seasonings, if desired.
Notes
For a vegan option, omit the ground turkey. This chili is just as yummy without it!
If you’d like to use fresh onion and garlic, use one medium onion, diced and 2 cloves of garlic, minced. Reduce the onion powder to 1 1/2 tablespoons and the garlic powder to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Sauté until soft, then proceed with the recipe as written.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!