The winter didn’t even knock on the door but it feels already pretty cold. Days like these, are the perfect occasion for a warming one-pot dish. This chili con pumpkin recipe, as I call it, is a great variation of the traditional chili. Especially in the autumn months when the pumpkins reach their peak. The addition of the pumpkin makes it sweet, creamy and amazingly colourful.
But even though I called it “chili con pumpkin” it also includes meat. So if you are more of a veggie lover, simply add more pumpkin and leave the meat out.
Ingredients for 4-6 portions of “chili con pumpkin”:
- 300 g of minced beef/pork meat
- 1 red onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/3 of Hokkaido pumpkin
- dried and fresh chili peppers (you decide the level of the spiciness)
- dried oregano (optional)
- 4-5 Tbsp of kidney beans (cooked, from a can)
- 400 ml tomato sauce (diced tomatoes, no skin, no seeds)
- 200 ml of vegetable or beef broth
- 2-3 tsp of sweet red paprika powder
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- a handful of fresh cilantro
- 1 lime
- 200 g of sour cream
To begin with, take a large pan, drizzle in some olive oil and heat it up. Chop the onion and garlic, wash and cut the bell pepper and chop the chili peppers. When the oil gets warm add the garlic, onion and red bell pepper. Stir it for 30 seconds and then add the meat. Braise until the meat is no longer pink and it starts to crumble.
In the meantime wash, deseed and cut the pumpkin (ca 3 cm cubes). Afterwards add the chopped chili peppers, oregano, sweet paprika powder, pumpkin cubes, kidney beans, tomato sauce and the broth to the meat in the pan. Season with salt and pepper, stir and cover. When it starts boiling, lower the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin gets tender.
Meanwhile, wash and chop the cilantro. Wash also the lime and roll it with your palm pressing on it. As a result, more juice will come out when squeezed. Grate some lime zest and combine it with the sour cream and the lime juice in a small bowl.
Once the pumpkin is tender, turn off the stove and sprinkle the chili with the aromatic cilantro. Serve the chili con pumpkin with some lime-sour cream for a nice fresh contrast.
Enjoy!
