Pumpkin Chili Recipe Review

This time of year I always see recipes pop up on Pinterest using pumpkin.  Most people think of using pumpkin in recipes like pies, muffins or bread.  I wanted to try something different so I searched 'Pumpkin Savory Dishes'.  A ton of recipes for pumpkin chili came up.  They all looked good in the pictures, but they all had a bunch of ingredients I didn't have on hand.  I needed something to make quickly and use what I had in the pantry.  So I kind of came up with my own pumpkin chili recipe.  It's very basic, and if I probably had more time maybe I would add some of those extra spices.  Here are all of my canned ingredients.

First I browned my meat with a little salt and pepper.

Once my meat was browned I tossed it in the crock pot and added the can of diced tomatoes undrained, can of tomato sauce, pinto beans drained, kidney beans drained and half the can of beef broth.  I added two tablespoons of chili powder.  I also added 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree.  We had a few pumpkins we bought and one that even popped up in our backyard.  My husband cleans out the insides and cuts the outside into cubed pieces.  He then boils them, lets them cool and then peels off the skin.  Then I puree them in a small food processor (wish I had a bigger one) with a little water.  

I left it in the crock pot on low for 4 hours.  It did taste a little bland so I sprinkled some Tony Chacheres seasoning on it.  I served it over rice and added some shredded cheddar on top.  Please note I'm not a very good food photographer.  I just take the pictures on my iPhone, nothing special.  It was very good and considering all the frozen pumpkin puree I now have in my freezer, we will definitely be having this again.

Again ...remember I'm not a good food photographer :)

Simple Pumpkin Chili Recipe:

1-2 lbs. ground beef (90/10)

1 can petite diced tomatoes with sweet onion

1 can tomato sauce

1 can pinto beans

1 can kidney beans

1/2 can beef broth

2 tbs. chili powder

Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning to taste

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Brown meat with salt and pepper.  Dump in crock pot with diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, pinto beans (drained), kidney beans (drained), 1/2 can beef broth, 2 tablespoons chili powder, 1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree and Tony's seasoning to taste.  Cook on low 3-4 hours.  Serve over rice.  Enjoy!