Pumpkin Chili.. It's Dinner in a Pumpkin!

This recipe for chili SCREAMS fall in so many ways! You can serve it in a pumpkin (or not)- plus.. the secret ingredient? Canned pumpkin! Don't worry if you aren't a fan of pumpkin, you can't even taste it. It just gives the chili a thicker-heartier texture, and of course, a pretty orange color! Serving it in the pumpkin just tops it off!

IF you do want to serve it in a pumpkin, make sure you get PIE PUMPKINS. Don't get carving pumpkins, won't be the same taste!

Ingredients:

Optional: 1 pie pumpkin PER person

·         2 T Olive Oil

·         ½ cup chopped onion

·         1 cup diced red bell pepper

·         1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

·         1 lb ground turkey

·         15 oz can pumpkin puree

·         2-14oz cans diced tomatoes

·         15 oz can tomato sauce

·         15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

·         4 oz can diced green chilies

·         ½ cup corn

·         1 T chili powder

·         1 tsp ground cumin

If you are going to use the pumpkins, you will want to cut the tops off (save them for baking)- and seed the pumpkins. Then place pumpkins (tops back on) on a baking sheet and stick them in a 375 degree oven for about an hour. Your knife should be able to cut through them like butter when they are done!

You can't tell, but these have baked for an hour and are ready to stuff with chili!

While they cook in the oven, cook your chili on the stove:

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook 5-7 minutes until softened.

2. Add turkey/beef and cook until browned.

3. Add tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, pumpkin, tomato sauce, beans, chilies, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.

4. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

You could go to step 4, and then after the boil, transfer chili to the pumpkin and let them bake inside the pumpkins in the oven for the remainder of the time. I didn't, but you could!

Whichever way you chose, serve each person their chili inside of a pumpkin! The presentation is outstanding, and if you want you can even scoop some pumpkin flesh off of the wall of the pumpkin and eat it as you go! (For pumpkin lovers only!)

You could also top with some kind of Mexican cheese.  Or you could toast up some of the seeds you scooped out and serve those over top as well :) 

Enjoy this fall delight!