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Pumpkin chili with ground turkey, black beans and kidney beans, topped with Greek yogurt, in a white bowl on a blue background.
Dinner · American

Pumpkin Chili

Canned pumpkin melts into the tomato and does the thickening, so the chili turns rich and velvety without hours on the stove. Lean turkey keeps it light, and a cup of milk stirred in at the end softens the chili powder's edge. It makes a big pot, so lunch is handled for days.

Quick facts

60 min(10 prep, 50 cook)

6 servings

Contains: Milk, Wheat, Soy, Sesame

Step 0

Get it all out

Tick things off as they hit the counter.

  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 can pumpkin puree, 15 oz, not pumpkin pie filling
  • 1 can tomato puree, 29 oz
  • 1 can diced green chiles, 4.5 oz
  • 1 can low-sodium black beans, 15 oz, drained
  • 1 can low-sodium kidney beans, 15 oz, drained
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1 tsp dried parsley
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp ground cumin

To serve

  • nonfat plain Greek yogurt, to tasteoptional
  • hummus, to tasteoptional
  • whole wheat crackers, to tasteoptional
Then

Let 'em cook

Tap Done as you go. Each step lists what goes in.

  1. 1

    Wash your hands with soap and water. Dice the onion, open all the cans, and drain the black beans and kidney beans in a colander.

    • 1 small white onion
    • 1 can low-sodium black beans
    • 1 can low-sodium kidney beans
  2. 2

    Heat the 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers, about 1 minute. Add the turkey, then wash your hands and anything that touched the raw turkey. Cook, breaking the meat into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until no pink is left and an instant-read thermometer in the meat reads 165°F, 8 to 10 minutes.

    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  3. 3

    Tilt the pot and look at the bottom. If fat has pooled there, spoon it into a heatproof bowl or cup. If the pot looks dry, skip this. Leave the turkey in the pot.

    • 1 lb lean ground turkey
  4. 4

    Add the onion and garlic to the turkey. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion turns soft and see-through, about 5 minutes.

    • 1 small white onion
    • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  5. 5

    Stir in the pumpkin puree, tomato puree, green chiles, black beans, kidney beans, parsley, chili powder, oregano and cumin until the pumpkin is fully mixed in and no streaks of orange remain.

    • 1 can pumpkin puree
    • 1 can tomato puree
    • 1 can diced green chiles
    • 1 can low-sodium black beans
    • 1 can low-sodium kidney beans
    • 1 tsp dried parsley
    • 2 tbsp chili powder
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • 2 tsp ground cumin
  6. 6

    Leave the lid off and turn the heat to medium-high. Stir every minute or so, scraping the bottom, until the chili bubbles steadily across the surface, about 5 minutes.

  7. 7

    Turn the heat to low so the chili bubbles gently. Set the lid on the pot slightly ajar, leaving a gap for steam to escape, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so and scraping the bottom. It's ready when it has thickened a little and coats the back of a spoon.

  8. 8

    Turn off the heat and stir in the milk until the chili is an even reddish-orange with no white streaks.

    • 1 cup skim milk
  9. 9

    Ladle the chili into bowls and top each with a spoonful of Greek yogurt or hummus, with whole wheat crackers on the side. Put leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours.

    • nonfat plain Greek yogurt
    • hummus
    • whole wheat crackers