There are few things in this world I love more than a hot bowl of “chili” on a “chilly” fall day (no pun intended). I have so many favorite kinds of chili, but my absolute favorite chili recipe includes my not-so-secret ingredient: Pumpkin.
Don’t tell my siblings I sneak pumpkin in their chili—(they still have no idea how my chili turns out so smooth and how it has such a robust flavor)—They would never eat it again….Hold on a sec..okay, you can spill my secret—You know what that means? More for me! 😀 I am so psyched about the fact that soup season is now upon us! Hands-down my favorite food season—I love pretty much any kind of soup; and I tend to go kind of crazy with soup in the cooler months….We’re talking about soup for dinner 3-4 times a week. So I’m just ‘sayin that you should expect quite a few soup recipes to pop up on my blog quite often. I already have a few a-mazing soup recipes up my sleeve for ‘ya 😉
It’s never to early for soup season 😀
Today’s soup is my absolute, no-questions-asked favorite soup recipe. My family’s favorite too. This chili has a unique flavor unlike any other chili you will ever ever try in your life—It’s soup base is chicken broth—it’s smooth with a robust flavor from pure pumpkin and fresh garlic. (don’t wrinkle your nose! You won’t believe how amazing these flavors taste together! It’s filled with all kinds of chunky-goodness… Let’s see here….We’ve got black beans, sweet peppers, cubed chicken, diced tomatoes, and sweet onion….But we’re not done yet! The thing that makes this chili truly amazing is….the spices! I used a combination of different spices, including cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, and of course, salt.
Holy cow, guys. You will not believe how incredible all of these different flavors taste together…It’s just astounding to me that something so amazing could call for such basic ingredients and only 30 minutes of your time!! I did mention that right? No? Well, it’s true…(oh, and 20 minutes of that time is inactive— just waiting for all the flavors of the chili to meld together)
If you’re planning on serving this chili for Chili Night (a regular thing around here!) I would highly recommend serving it with warm cornbread (not the boxed mix! Go from scratch for best results) and a variety of different chili toppings in individual bowls (kids really like to help with this part!)
By the way, what do you guys like topping your chili with? My favorite topping ‘combo is diced avocado and shredded cheddar cheese. Yummm..There are so many options you can choose from in the chili-topping department: Cheese, tomatoes, green onions, sour cream, fresh herbs, avocado…Any other toppings to add to this list??
The possibilities are simply endless with this chili. It’s so easy to prepare. You can tweak it to your personal taste. You can serve it with any kind of bread…I could just go on and on. But I won’t because I’m starving and I still have some of this chili sitting in the fridge…anddd because I know you guys are probably starving by now, too 😉
Consider this your first soup recipe of many. I am now declaring the next few months, Sarah’s Soup Season.
Pumpkin Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons safflower oil
- 1 medium sweet onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 large sweet red pepper chopped
- 2 cans 15 oz each black beans, drained
- 1 can 28 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can 15 oz pure pumpkin
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- Optional toppings: cheddar cheese avocado, green onions, sour cream, or fresh tomatoes.
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil until shimmery. Add onion, garlic, and pepper. Stir frequently over medium heat until fragrant and golden. Stir in beans, tomatoes, pumpkin, broth, and chicken. In a small bowl, combine cumin, chili powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt. Add to pot and stir until combined.
- Simmer chili at medium heat, 20 minutes. Ladle warm chili into individual bowls and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.
Bring on the pumpkin….!!
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Scones
(Tastes exactly like a Starbucks scone, except these ones are HEALTHY!)
(My #1 favorite pancake!)
Pumpkin Spice Mini-Cheesecakes
(So good and they are so tiny you can consume several in minutes!)
Pumpkin Pecan Streusel Muffins
(Super moist pumpkin spice muffins with a crunchy pecan topping and a gooey vanilla icing!)
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