Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Big Red Pot: Pumpkin Chili

When the weather turns brisk, out comes the big red pot. I love this pot. I've had it for years. I'll have it forever. It's cast-iron and could easily be used as a lethal weapon it's so heavy.

Last week, the big red pot simmered with Pumpkin Chili. It's a recipe that we discovered in 2001. By 2002, we lost the magazine it came from, and we hadn't been able to make it since.

After much determination, I finally found the missing recipe, and promptly pulled out the big red pot to make a batch. To prevent another eight years from passing before we make it again, I'm going to post the recipe here. It's vegetarian, but very hearty. Definitely satisfying for carnivores as well.


The original recipe was actually a pumpkin and black bean soup, but I like chili better than soup so it's been majorly doctored. It's super easy to make. Just dice up a few veggies, open A LOT of cans, dump and simmer. Done. It seems all of the ingredients I used came from Trader Joe's this time around. I think they should throw me a kickback for all of this free advertising! A gift card would be fine, Joe.

Pumpkin Chili
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced (I just use a garlic press)
1 yellow onion, diced
1 cup diced red pepper
1 cup diced green pepper (sometimes I just use 2 cups of one color. doesn't matter) 
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
1 small jar chipotle salsa (I used half a jar of the Garlic Chipotle Salsa from Trader Joe's)
6 cups vegetable broth
2 15 oz. cans solid pack pumpkin
4 15 oz. cans of beans (whatever kind you like. I used black, kidney, cannellini, & pinto.)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained. (I used one 15 oz can, drained.)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro. (Don't skimp!)


In a large pot, heat oil and cook garlic, onion, red and green peppers over med-high heat until tender, about 6 minutes.

Add cumin, cayenne and salsa. Cook for 1 minute longer.

Add vegetable broth and pumpkin. Stir to blend well. Cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in beans, corn and cilantro. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so.

Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and grated cheese, or any other chili toppings you like.

NOTE: This chili tastes better the next day and the next. The more time the flavors have a chance to meld, the better. Great dish to stick in a crockpot and bring to a potluck.

11 comments:

Dani said...

Does the pumpkin give it texture? Or does it provide the main taste? I love open & dump it in a pot recipes, so I'm very intrigued.

I love your big red pot as well.

Bridget said...

Oh this sounds good!! Glad you found the long lost recipe and shared it ;)

Kim said...

Dani - I'd say mostly texture. It's not extremely pumpkin-y. There are way too many ingredients for the pumpkin to be a strong force. You could also use chix broth. I bet that would be really good too.

If you like it spicy, you can add jalapenos. We're not big spicy lovers so I leave that out and sub in the chipotle salsa.

My Interior Life said...

Sounds yummy! Might have to give this one a shot.

kim {the non-mom blogger} said...

I'm always looking for yummy vegetarian soups!! And I love that I can get everything at TJs ;) I will try it this week; your recipes are always a hit with me!!!

Cathy M~(checkitoff) said...

This looks so yummy! I am going to try it later this week! yummmmmm:)hugs, Cathy

knack said...

wow....what a plethora of goodness for the taste buds! I'm going to have to try this:)

xo

mandy said...

This sounds good.
I'm always looking for the next thing to make in my big red pot.
I never clean the outside of it though and I'm marveling at how very much more red yours looks than mine.
Must try this soup!

Jen said...

Oh that red pot would look so fab in my kitchen.
And I can imagine the chili would smell so good in my kitchen.
Love this and love Traders Joes too.
Happy Day!

sloan said...

yum yum and YUM - gonna have to add this one to my Sunday Soups ... thanks for sharing!!

Love the pot, too ;-)

Clara in Paradise said...

Yum! And those soups look like what the doctor prescribed.