Lately I’ve been utilizing a lot of fall and winter vegetables in my cooking. I love this time of year and last year I wrote about how much I love chili around this time as well. The inspiration for this recipe comes from my old chili recipe. I figured with all the pumpkin recipes out there, why not try to make a pumpkin chili one? Turns out, I just had to make a few minor tweaks to my previous chili recipe and it turned out amazing. I woke up this morning to the most delicious smell, I can only describe it as ‘holiday magic’. This would make an ideal lunch or dinner on a cold fall or winter day. If you’re so inclined, treat yourself afterwards with some Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bites.
- 2lbs grass-fed ground beef
- 1 tbsp lard
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 oz. canned pumpkin
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 small can tomato paste
- ¼ cup 100% cacao powder see note
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (from can - make sure they are wheat-free), sliced see note
- Heat lard in a large pan over medium heat.
- Add garlic and onion; saute until tender but do not burn.
- Add the ground beef and cook until about medium (just long enough to brown most of the meat).
- Once browned, add meat/garlic/onion mixture to the crock pot.
- In no particular order, add in the pumpkin, bell pepper, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, cacao powder, chipotle peppers (if used) and spices.
- Stir all ingredients well and set crock pot to low and cook for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Serve and enjoy!
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