Pumpkin Chili For Two – An Easy No-Tomato Chili Recipe

When it comes to October recipes, you can’t beat this easy Pumpkin Chili recipe. Thick and hearty chili that has a surprisingly smooth and velvety texture and tastes absolutely amazing.

It is one of those recipes that you may be hesitant to make because of the name. However do yourself a favor and give it a try!

I have made this for several of my family and friends (without telling them what is in it) and they all absolutely love it. In fact, every October, I get requests to make my ‘special chili’ to serve at Fall events, potlucks and tailgate parties.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Flavor – This pumpkin chili is full of amazing flavor. By combining a few unique and Autumn inspired ingredients, you will have created a delicious comfort food meal that you will want to make over and over again.

Easy To Make – This recipe is made entirely on the stove top and requires little hands on work. Simply brown the meat and then stir in the other ingredients and let it simmer. Even a novice cook can master this recipe.

One Pot Meal – You will make the entire recipe in one single pot. That means at the end of the meal, there is only one pot to clean!

Small Batch Recipe – Most chili recipes are designed to serve several people. However, this recipe is designed as a small batch recipe. Although, I have constructed the recipe to leave a small bowl or two for leftovers, because we all know that chili is even better the next day!

3 Unique Ingredients Required

Although there are several standard chili ingredients included in this recipe, there are also 3 unique ingredients in this Pumpkin Chili recipe.

1. PUMPKIN PUREE

You will need a half of a standard size can of pumpkin puree for this recipe. Although don’t expect the chili to have a strong pumpkin flavor. Instead the puree gives the chili a slight hint of sweetness and gives the sauce a velvety texture.

However, be sure that you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is purely pumpkin or several different varieties of winter squash that have been cooked down and then pureed. There are no other ingredients added to the pumpkin puree.

On the other hand, pumpkin pie filling has several spices and other ingredients that have been added to the mixture. You can simply pour the contents into a pie crust and put it in the oven to bake until it becomes a firm pie filling.

Although these two products are often times stocked next to each other on the grocery shelves, they are not interchangeable. Once you use half of the can to make this recipe, use the other half to make Tortellini Pumpkin Alfredo later in the week.

2. CHIPOTLE PEPPER IN ADOBO SAUCE

In order to give the pumpkin chili a distinct smoky, slightly spicy yet, slightly sweet flavor profile a diced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce is added. You can find a can of these chipotle peppers near the taco ingredients at most grocery stores.

If you like that smoky flavor and are looking for a little more heat to your chili, you can add one or two extra peppers to the mix. Just be sure to dice them finely so you don’t have large chunks of peppers in the chili.

Because you will only use one or a few, you will have several leftover. Use the remainder to make this addicting Chipotle Sauce. You can use it as a condiment to drizzle on top of nachos, burgers, chicken, and pork or use it as a dipping sauce for fries, onion rings, chicken nuggets or tenders.

3. HARD APPLE CIDER

Many people add beer to their standard chili recipe to give it more flavor. However for this recipe we are going to stick to the flavors of Autumn and use hard apple cider instead.

The slightly sweet yet warm flavors of the apple cider give the chili another layer of delicious flavor. Luckily this time of the year it is easy to find hard apple cider wherever beer is sold.

Although be sure to purchase unflavored hard apple cider. There are some brands that include caramel flavoring, however it is best to use one that doesn’t include the added flavors.

As the pumpkin chili cooks, the alcohol will burn off, leaving you with only the magnificent flavor of the cider. However if you prefer to not cook with alcohol products, use apple cider instead.

Easy Homemade Pumpkin Chili Seasoning

Although it would be easy to grab a packet of chili seasoning from the grocery store, the seasoning in this recipe is slightly different than standard chili seasoning. That is because we are sticking with Fall flavors, even when it comes to the spices added to the chili.

By combining just a few simple spices that you most likely already have in your pantry, you will have all the flavor that you need to season the chili. Here is what you will need:

• 3/4 tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste
• 1 bay leaf

Simply stir the spices into the pot with the other ingredients and let the mixture simmer. Once everything has time to heat and the flavors have begun to meld, it is time to ladle the chili into a bowl and top it with your favorite chili toppings.

Pumpkin Chili For Two

*A printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article which contains the specific measurements, temperatures and cook times. However, continue reading below to learn about more helpful tips about this specific recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, diced
• 7.5 ounces pure pumpkin puree
• 6 ounces hard cider (or apple cider)
• 7.5 ounces chili beans
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 3/4 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, more to taste
• 1 bay leaf

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium pot placed over medium heat, add the ground beef and begin to brown and break the meat in chunks as it cooks. When the meat is half way brown, add the chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic, and chipotle pepper. Cook until the meat is completely brown.

Add the pumpkin puree, hard cider, chili beans, and chicken broth into the pot and stir.

Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper and bay leaf and stir until well incorporated.

Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the chili simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve warm with desired toppings.

Enjoy! Mary

Follow My Facebook Page For Great Recipes For Two! I Cook For Two Facebook Page

To receive FREE recipes delivered directly to your email, be sure to sign up for the iCookfortwo newsletter. A sign up form is located in the middle of this article. If you have any questions, comments, or want to submit an idea for a recipe for two, feel free to email at mary@icookfortwo.com