Every October the same thing happens at my house. The pumpkins come in all at once, the peppers are still going like it’s July, and the first cool evening rolls through and all I want is a big pot of something simmering on the stove.
Friends, this is that pot.
It’s a classic beef chili with two garden twists: cubes of fresh pumpkin that soften and melt into the broth, and a pile of sweet peppers instead of the usual one sad bell pepper. Chipotle brings the smoke, a little maple and cinnamon play up the pumpkin’s sweetness, and the whole thing tastes like fall in a bowl. Nobody will guess there’s pumpkin in it unless you tell them, and I always tell them.
I’ve made this enough times now that it deserved real measurements and a proper home here, with the notes I’ve picked up along the way.
First, a Little Pumpkin Science
Not every pumpkin is a cooking pumpkin, and this is the part that trips people up. The big jack-o’-lantern types were bred for size and a thin wall you can carve, which means their flesh is mostly water, stringy and pretty bland. Cook them down and you get a watery chili and a lot of disappointment.
What you want is a small, dense, sweet pumpkin: a sugar pie pumpkin, a Seminole pumpkin, a kabocha or a long-neck cheese pumpkin. These have thick, dry, starchy flesh with real sugar in it, and that starch is exactly what thickens the chili as the cubes break down. If you only have a carving pumpkin, use butternut squash instead. It behaves just like a pie pumpkin here.
In my own garden I grow Seminole pumpkins, mostly because the squash vine borers can’t ruin them like they do my zucchini, and they’ll sit on the counter for months. If you planted them this year, this chili is the first thing to make with them. A single small pumpkin gives you the three cups you need, with some left over to roast.
The peppers are the other reason this recipe exists. Here in Charlotte (Zone 8a), my sweet peppers keep producing right up until the first frost, which usually lands in early November, so October means buckets of them. Italian roasting peppers, bells, lunchbox peppers, whatever is ripening. Mix them. The more colors the better!
How to Break Down a Fresh Pumpkin
This is the only fussy part, and it takes about ten minutes. Cut the pumpkin in half from stem to bottom with a big, sharp knife (if it’s rock hard, poke it a few times with a fork and microwave it for 3 minutes first to soften the skin). Scoop out the seeds and strings with a spoon. Cut each half into wedges, then run a sharp vegetable peeler or a paring knife down each wedge to take off the skin. Cut the wedges into 1/2-inch cubes.
Save the seeds! Rinse them, toss with a little oil and salt, and roast at 325°F for 20 to 25 minutes while the chili simmers. They make a great crunchy topping.
Smoky Pumpkin & Sweet Pepper Chili
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the beef. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until browned. Drain the excess fat if there’s a lot, then scoop the beef onto a plate.
- Soften the vegetables. In the same pot, add the onion, sweet peppers and jalapeño. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
- Toast the spices. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, cinnamon, salt and black pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring the whole time, so the spices toast and the tomato paste darkens a shade. This is where the deep chili flavor comes from, so don’t skip it.
- Add the pumpkin and everything else. Return the beef to the pot. Add the pumpkin, crushed tomatoes, black beans, kidney beans, broth, minced chipotle, adobo sauce and maple syrup. Stir until everything is combined.
- Simmer. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Partially cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is fork-tender and the flavors have come together.
- Thicken it with the pumpkin. Press some of the pumpkin pieces against the side of the pot with your spoon so they melt into the chili. That’s what gives it body, and you still get plenty of tender chunks. Want it thicker? Simmer uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Finish and serve. Stir in the vinegar or lime juice to wake everything up. Taste, then adjust the salt, heat or sweetness. Ladle into bowls and pile on the toppings.
Notes
A Few Notes From My Kitchen
Toast the spices. Step 3 looks skippable and it isn’t. A minute of stirring the chili powder and tomato paste in the hot fat is the difference between a chili that tastes deep and one that tastes like it needs another hour.
The pumpkin is your thickener. Don’t reach for flour or masa. Once the cubes are fork-tender, press some of them against the side of the pot and they’ll dissolve into the broth. Leave the rest whole so you get those soft, sweet bites. If you like a thicker chili, just simmer it uncovered a little longer.
Set the heat where you want it. One chipotle plus the jalapeño is a medium heat that my whole table is happy with. For a milder pot, use half a chipotle and skip the jalapeño. For more, add a second chipotle or a pinch of cayenne at the end.
Don’t skip the vinegar. That last teaspoon of apple cider vinegar or lime juice doesn’t make it taste sour. It wakes up everything else, especially the sweetness of the pumpkin and peppers. Add it, taste, and you’ll see.
Make it the day before. Like every chili, it’s better on day two once the flavors have had a night together. It keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Reheat it gently on the stove with a splash of broth.
Questions I Get About This Chili
Can I use canned pumpkin instead of fresh? Yes. Swap in about 1 cup of plain pumpkin purée (not pie filling) for the cubes. The chili will be smooth and thick instead of chunky, and just as good.
Can I make it vegetarian? Absolutely. Leave out the beef, use vegetable broth, and add a third can of beans or your favorite plant-based crumbles. Everything else stays the same.
Can I make it in a slow cooker? Yes. Brown the beef and soften the vegetables and spices on the stove first (steps 1 through 3), then move everything to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4, until the pumpkin is tender, then mash and finish as written.
Can I use butternut squash? Yes, and it’s my favorite swap. Same amount, same cubes, same cooking time.
One More Thing
There’s a particular kind of satisfaction in a dinner where almost everything in the pot came out of the ground you’ve been tending since spring. The pumpkin you planted in June, the peppers you’ve been picking since July, the garlic from last fall. This chili is the whole season in one bowl, and I look forward to it every single year.
If you make it, tell me. Tag me, DM me, send me a photo of your pumpkin pile. Those are my favorite messages to get!
xo, Meg
