I’ve always loved this Turkey Pumpkin Chili recipe. It’s a good-for-you kind of chili. No guilt!
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
I live in Arizona where it doesn’t often get freezing outside. In fact, if you live outside of Arizona, you may think we have hot, sunny weather all year long. That’s not entirely true. We do get some cooler temperatures!
In January, temperatures sometimes dip down into the 30’s. There’s even a good layer of frost on our poolside lounge chairs in the mornings! This is quite a change in winter weather from when we lived in the Reno-Tahoe area, but I welcome that change for sure.
In any case, the “warmer” winter weather we have here in Arizona still calls for some hot comfort food once in a while. Chili is the perfect warm-you-up kind of meal.
🛒Ingredients needed:
- lean ground turkey
- onions, bell peppers and cloves
- canned diced tomatoes
- canned pumpkin puree
- canned kidney and Great Northern beans
- tomato sauce
- diced green chilies
- chili powder, cumin and oregano
- salt and pepper
- water
✏️How to make Turkey Pumpkin Chili:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
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In a large pot, add the ground turkey and heat over medium-high until browned. Remove the cooked meat from the pot and place on paper towels to remove any excess fat. Wipe any remaining fat from the pot and coat pot with cooking spray.
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Sauté onion, bell pepper and garlic; sauté until tender. Return the turkey to the pot. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour. If the chili is too thick for you, add more water, and adjust seasonings as needed
➡️Recipe Tips:
- Taste the chili after an hour of simmering. If it’s too thick for you, add a little water. If it needs more spice, then add more spice. The flavor of chili is all a matter of preference, so change it up as needed.
- I promise that your chili won’t taste like a weird pumpkin concoction. Pumpkin is used in plenty of savory recipes, and in the case of this chili… it provides great texture and it’s good for you too. Don’t leave it out!
- We sometimes serve this chili with shredded sharp cheddar sprinkled on top– melted and yummy! Sour cream and fresh cilantro are good additions too.
✔️What to serve with Turkey Pumpkin Chili:
- I highly recommend serving this turkey pumpkin chili with my Pumpkin Cornbread. They are a great combination!
- Beer Bread is another good pairing.
- Speaking of beer…it’s great along side this chili!
★How to Store:
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for several days and this chili freezes beautifully! Put it in an air tight container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can enjoy it on a busy night with no time for cooking!
❤️Why I love this recipe:
- To me, this chili just screams fall comfort food and I love that!
- This recipe makes a big batch, so all week long I can enjoy Turkey Pumpkin Chili for lunch.
- It’s low fat and Weight Watcher friendly. If you’re following the Weight Watchers program, there is a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Favorite Chili Recipes:
- All American Chili
- Chicken Butternut Squash Chili
- Chili Verde
- Halftime Chili
- Grilled Vegetable Chili
Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Recipe Details
Ingredients
- 1 pound 99% lean ground turkey
- ¾ cup chopped onions
- ½ cup chopped green bell peppers
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- Two 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes, with liquid
- One 15-ounce can unsweetened pure pumpkin puree
- One 15-ounce can kidney beans, with liquid
- One 15-ounce can Great Northern beans, with liquid
- One 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- One 4-ounce can diced green chiles
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin (or more, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ teaspoons oregano
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- In a large pot, add the ground turkey and heat over medium-high until browned. Remove the cooked meat from the pot and place on paper towels to remove any excess fat. Wipe any remaining fat from the pot and coat pot with cooking spray.
- Sauté onion, bell pepper and garlic; sauté until tender. Return the turkey to the pot. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour. If the chili is too thick for you, add more water, and adjust seasonings as needed.
Best Chili recipe I’ve ever tried!
Love this chili. Make it all the time. I’m on Weight Watchers. Has anyone put it in slow cooker after they brown ground turkey and sauté onions, garlic and red pepper on stove top?
Made this Chili the other day. Was awesome!
I hate to sound like a crazed fan – but I love your website!
I have a quick question regarding the green chilies in your Turkey-Pumpkin Chili recipe: what can I use to substitute for the chilies? (They’re impossible to find in my area)
Thanks!
@Erin, Canned diced green chiles are hard to find? Wow, that’s so strange- they’re everywhere I thought! In any case, you can always chop up a large green jalapeno pepper (take the seeds out first though and dice it finely). It will add a bit more spice though to your chili than the milder green chiles will.