Have you tried pumpkin chili?

When a girlfriend mentioned pumpkin chili the other day, I had mixed emotions.  It’s no secret that the last few years the pumpkin flavored foods gracing the grocery store aisles have gotten a little out of hand…pumpkin spice jello?  Come on…and don’t get me started on the pumpkin spice bleach…

But my family loves pumpkin pastas this time of year (I’ll be sharing some of those recipes soon!), so I figured why not give it a try?  I basically made my normal white chili and added a can of pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling, just plain old pumpkin…..and we love it!!

It might be a new fall favorite, and SO easy to throw together on a weeknight, especially if you take the easy rotisserie chicken route like this busy mama!

Ingredients:

Teaspoon of olive oil

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

Cooked, shredded chicken-I bought a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store (perfect for a busy weeknight!) but you can also cook 1-2 lbs of chicken breasts in your slow cooker 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high

1 medium onion, chopped

1 jalepeno, chopped with seeds and membrane removed (omit if your family doesn’t like spice!)

1 can of chopped green chilis

1 can (15 oz.) of white Northern beans, rinsed and drained

3 cups of chopped kale-you don’t really taste it much, I but I like to sneak some veggies in!  My kids will eat them this way, but totally skip it if you want!

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

For serving (optional):

Chopped cilantro

Avocado

Cheese

Tortilla chips or cornbread

Directions:

Heat oil over medium/high heat and saute chopped onions and jalepenos.  Add stock, pumpkin and kale, stirring as kale cooks down.  Add chicken, chilis, and beans.  Season with cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, salt and pepper.  Stir well and serve.  We topped ours with cilantro, avocado and pepper jack cheese.

We also grabbed this gluten free cornbread from Trader Joe’s .  As far as GF mixes go, it is our favorite!  I got this super cute pumpkin waffle maker and used it to make our cornbread.  Is it necessary?  No…but sometimes it’s the little things that make us smile!  

You can find it HERE. 

This was even better the next day, and would be a great meal to make ahead and heat up on cold nights!

Enjoy!

Feel free to pin!