Pumpkin Chili

Did I mention that I love pumpkin? This is a super easy recipe for a little bit of a twist on chili, to be honest it really does not change the taste but it does make the chili very thick. If you wanted to you could use chunks of pumpkin or butternut squash(remember if you use pumpkin do not use your jack o’ lantern, use a baking pumpkin as they are not the same thing). We really enjoy soups and hearty food once the weather cools and I thought this might be an interesting alternative to traditional chili, not to mention the fact that I was trying to compete with my husbands award winning chili. He won 2nd place in the Taos, NM chili cook off several years ago, so he is considered the resident chili aficionado. I like this recipe and would definitely make it again.

Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup onion (chopped)

1 garlic clove (minced)

1lb ground beef/chuck

1/2 lb of spicy ground sausage

1 (14 oz) can of tomato puree

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 cups pumpkin puree

2 cans of drained and rinsed kidney beans

1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 dash salt

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

½ cup sour cream

1.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and
garlic. Saute until tender. Stir in ground beef and ground pork
sausage and cook until evenly browned. Drain and mix in tomatoes and
pumpkin puree.

2.  Season with chili powder,
salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
When ready to serve top each bowl with cheddar cheese and sour cream.