Turkey Pumpkin Chili

There’s nothing better than a bowl full of chili on a cold day! My turkey pumpkin chili is flavorful and loaded with protein & fiber! It is the perfect Autumn-inspired recipe! 

Pumpkin adds a subtle sweetness to turkey chili, which I love. We served ours with buttermilk cornbread and it was a match made in heaven! Or you could keep the pumpkin theme going and serve it with our pumpkin honey butter crescent rolls

Turkey Pumpkin Chili close up in bowl

Turkey + Pumpkin + Chili = DELISH!

This turkey pumpkin chili is going to be a fall staple for our family. It’s hearty, flavorful and packed full of wholesome ingredients. Best of all, my kiddos and husband LOVED it. 

Since it’s fall, and I’ve been baking like crazy, we always seem to have a little bit of pumpkin puree leftover. Our grocery store decided to only carry the large cans of Libby’s pumpkin puree, so it’s been a bit of a struggle to use it all up in one or two recipes.

This was a great way to clean out the fridge and make a dish that could last a few days. I combined with some leftover turkey and the combination was amazing!

Turkey Pumpkin Chili in ladle

How to Make Turkey Pumpkin Chili

I’ll admit, making chili is a bit of work, but it’s all in the prep. If I can find a good 20-minute chunk of time, that’s all I need to get this one-pot meal started!

On the Stovetop: Begin with a large pot set over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the peppers and onion. Cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Next, add the ground turkey and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Then comes all the spices! Add the garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and oregano. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant.

Add pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes next, cooking for 2 minutes and stirring frequently to prevent the sauce from burning.

Then finally, pour in the chicken stock, and the beans. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to cook for 1 hour.

You can serve as-is or with desired toppings.

Turkey Pumpkin Chili recipe in bowl

Storing + Variations

Here are some tips in storing and changing up this chili:

  • I love how well this soup stores! Keep it in an air-tight container for 3-4 days in your refrigerator or freeze for 2-3 months in a freezer-friendly bag/container. 
  • To reheat, simply defrost in the microwave and then heat either in the microwave or stovetop until chili is hot!  

Change it up: If you’re not a huge fan of turkey you can always swap it out for extra lean ground beef or ground chicken, whichever you prefer. This is a very forgiving recipe, so don’t be afraid to swap out a certain variety of beans for another.

Can this be made in the crockpot? Yes, it can! Begin by sauteing peppers and onion and then browning the ground turkey. Then place turkey mixture and all the other ingredients in your slow cooker, cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Can you make this recipe in your Instant Pot? Of course! Begin by cooking peppers and onion on saute mode. Then add ground turkey and cook till no longer pink. Add remaining ingredients and cook on manual high for 10 minutes. Allow it to naturally release for about 10 minutes before removing the lid. 

Pumpkin chili with turkey in bowl

We added a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top and mmm was that good! We’ll definitely be making this one again, and again… and again. I hope you will too. Happy fall! 

Check More Fall Inspired Recipes: 

 

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Turkey Pumpkin Chili | lifemadesimplebakes.com

Turkey Pumpkin Chili Recipe

There's nothing better than a bowl full of chili on a cold day! My turkey pumpkin chili is flavorful and loaded with protein & fiber! It is the perfect Autumn-inspired recipe!
4.67 from 27 votes
Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 219kcal
Author: Andrea
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pasilla chili pepper - diced
  • 1 large red bell pepper - diced
  • 1 medium red onion - diced
  • 4 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 lb ground turkey - chicken or extra lean ground beef work too
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 4 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes - I used fire-roasted
  • 4 cup low-sodium chicken stock - or vegetable broth
  • 1 (15 oz) can great northern beans
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans
  • 1/2 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans

Instructions

  • In a large pot set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the peppers and onion. Cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Add the ground turkey and cook for 4-5 minutes, then add the garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, and oregano. Stir and cook for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
  • Add the pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sauce from burning.
  • Pour in the chicken stock, then add the beans. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and allow to cook for 1 hour.
  • Remove from heat and serve as-is or with desired toppings.

NOTES

-This has great flavor without being spicy. Try adding 1 diced jalapeño to really heat things up!

Nutrition

Serving: 6serving | Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 684mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 7386IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    This was an easy and delicious recipe and tasted great the next day too. I added more pumpkin purée than the recipe called for and next time I will add some roasted cut up pumpkin pieces for more Fall color. Highly recommend this recipe. Super easy.