Spicy Pumpkin Vegetable Chili

October 20, 2008

A few weeks ago I came across a recipe for Fall Vegetable Chili in the October issue of Good Housekeeping. It looked really interesting and I thought I’d give it a try.

Then I started thinking about the different ingredients and some I also had in the fridge so I ended up making some major changes. First, I really wanted to experiment with some pumpkin. I also had some black beans on hand and chopped zucchini leftover from last night.

So this is what I came up with. What makes it a little different than some of the pumpkin chili I’ve come across is that I kept the pumpkin pieces pretty solid. I didn’t want them to be roasted first and turn into mush. I liked the chunky veggies. They gave it a good texture. I also like my chili really spicy.

It made a filling, fall-inspired lunch for my day. It takes a little time with the challenge of chopping up the pumpkin, but it is worth it.

Spicy Pumpkin Vegetable Chili

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ cups fresh pumpkin (no seeds or skin), chopped into small pieces
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups zucchini, chopped
½ medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2-3 Tbsp. spicy chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes with juice
½ cup water
1 ½ cups black beans, pre-soaked and cooked (no canned in these parts, but use them if you have them)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in soup pot, add pumpkin. Cook about 5 minutes. Then add carrot, zucchini, onion and garlic. Cook about 5 minutes more, until veggies begin to brown.

Add chili seasoning, cook an additional minute; add tomatoes and water. Simmer covered for 5 to 10 minutes or until veggies reach desired tenderness.

Using a fork, mash ½ cup of black beans. Add the 1 cup of whole beans and ½ cup mashed beans to the chili. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes more, heating the beans. Salt and pepper to taste. Makes about 4 servings.

I have a question. Anyone out there eat their chili with a scoop of peanut butter?

I used to eat it with a PB sandwich when I was a kid, dipping the sandwich in the chili. I think the habit started because the standard school cafeteria meal on chili day always included a PB sandwich.

As I got older I skipped the bread and just starting putting a spoonful of PB on the side of the bowl and mixing in a bit with each bite. I love it!

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  • VeggieGirl October 20, 2008 at 7:49 am

    Mmm, I’m all for spicy chili dishes with pumpkin!! :0)

    Never thought to add a scoop of PB to it – interesting!!

  • Meg October 20, 2008 at 8:35 am

    Another pumpkin chili that I have to try! YUM! Never had chili with PB, but it sounds intriguing!

  • Michelle October 20, 2008 at 11:37 am

    I don’t know about PB and chili, but I put PB in my oatmeal 🙂

  • Lori October 20, 2008 at 2:42 pm

    Okay, it’s looking like I might be kind of a weird-o with the PB thing. Ha, ha!
    Promise it’s good. 🙂

  • Erica October 20, 2008 at 6:00 pm

    PB and chili? Interesting combo! My husband always says he’d eat any two things he likes together so I bet he’d give that a go! That chili looks great! Good experimenting!

  • Emily October 21, 2008 at 9:13 am

    Mmmm…this looks good. The peanut butter sounds interesting, but I think I might give it a shot. I did like a grilled pb&j or grilled cheese sandwich with my chili and soup as a kid, just never thought to mix it.

    My husband always puts sweet pickles in his chili. I thought it was the weirdest thing until I tried it one day. I like really spicy chili too, so something about the spicy chili and sweetness of the pickles goes great together.

    Hmmm…what about pickles and peanut butter in chili? Or is that just the crazy prego stomach talking?

  • Lori October 21, 2008 at 1:13 pm

    erica – That is a brave statement by him. You could probably come up with some interesting combos to tempt him. 🙂 I feel the same way about a lot of things though.

    emily – Ha, ha! The pickles don’t sound bad at all. Chili seems to be one of those foods that calls for unique combinations. My sister-in-law grew up putting butter in her chili. Not my cup of tea, I like the sweet with the salty myself.

  • Kevin October 21, 2008 at 7:17 pm

    Nice pumpkin chili! I like that the pumpkin is in bid solid chunks.

  • Lori October 22, 2008 at 2:42 pm

    Thanks! I just finished up the leftovers today and that was my favorite part. I really liked the flavor and texture it added.

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