Turkey + Pumpkin Chili

As promised, we continue on with our pumpkin inspired meals + treats over the next few weeks. Today, we are featuring a tasty, hearty, warming pumpkin chili recipe that is slow-cooker approved, so you can just mix the ingredients, pour them in, and have a healthy and filling dinner waiting at the end of the work day. 

Does anything say fall like a bowl of chili? There's the warmth, the heat of the spices, and the mixture of the vegetables, beans, and meat that seems to be utterly satisfying when the temperatures are starting to dip, (even here in Houston!). 

Most chili recipes that use pumpkin call for pureed pumpkin, but this one is different in that fresh is preferred. The pumpkin then, acts like any other squash in this recipe, cooking down to a delicious, complex flavor that's something like butternut, but with a slightly nuttier flavor.

Gather:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb ground turkey (the less fat the better)

1 onion chopped

28 oz can of diced tomatoes

2 cups cubed FRESH pumpkin 

15 oz can of kidney beans

15 oz can of pinto beans

2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp chili powder

2 tbsp cumin

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Brown the turkey  stirring often, until it is crumbly and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain and discard any fat.
2. Transfer turkey to a slow cooker and stir in diced tomatoes, pumpkin,  beans, brown sugar,  and all spices. Set cooker to Low, cover, and cook until pumpkin is tender and has started to break apart, at least 3 hours.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with avocado and cilantro.