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Slow Cooker Recipe
Pumpkin Black-Bean Turkey Chili
Brrr! It’s a little brisk outside the office today. In fact, it’s downright chilly.
And that means it’s time for chili! (Ha. Ha.)
But instead of the typical red-kidney-bean-and-ground-beef-soup, we’re warming our bellies with Pumpkin Black-Bean Turkey Chili.
We can’t resist cooking with pumpkin at this time of year because it’s in season and because we love the gentle flavor of the squash.
In this soup, the pumpkin cuts the acidity that tomatoes can add to many chili recipes, and it adds a soft, sweet flavor that complements, but does not over-power, the turkey and black beans.
We love each hearty bite of Pumpkin Black-Bean Turkey Chili. But even though it’s sturdy and filling, we don’t think it’s quite as dense or heavy as other chili recipes. Plus, it looks simply smashing on a table beside Tomato-Zucchini Ratatouille and Apple Caramel Pie.
Pumpkin Black-Bean Turkey Chili
Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook, pg. 69
Makes 10-12 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 7-8 hours
Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. oil
1½ tsp. dried oregano
1½-2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2½ cups chopped cooked turkey
16-oz. can pumpkin
14½-oz. can diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1. Sauté onions, yellow pepper, and garlic in oil in skillet for 8 minutes, or until soft.
2. Stir in oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Cook 1 minute. Transfer to slow cooker.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients.
4. Cover. Cook on Low 7-8 hours.
Give to Vickie for me..
Why would you use cooked turkey if you are cooking in slow cooker for 7/8 hours???
When I cook using the slow cooker, I have found things are done cooking at least an hour before the directions in a recipe. I cooked a similar recipe in a crock yesterday for 4 hours and it was just right.
I believe this is for food safety reasons because the crockpot is cooking at a low temperature for a long time…could cause bacteria to grow>
Hi Lesley! We cook the turkey before putting it into the soup for food safety reasons. By cooking the turkey first, we are absolutely sure each and every piece of turkey is completely cooked when the soup is finished. Though the cooked turkey is in the slow cooker for 7-8 hours, the meat is not overcooked when the soup is ready. Thanks for asking!
When I make chili using ground beef or left over roast and steak, I cook the beef before hand. Don’t you? I wouldn’t have thought to put raw meat (turkey, chicken or beef) in my chili.
sounds awesome. im vegetarian, but this could be easily converted to vegetarian. mmmmmmmm
Try using a bag of Quorn instead of the meat. It’s awesome!>
Is this ground turkey, or just regular pieces? I’m guessing it assumes using leftover turkey from a turkey dinner, but I’m wondering if we could sub with uncooked turkey, chopped, for something cooking in a crock pot. If it’s breast, there wouldn’t be any added fat from that, or not very much.
Hi Amy! Yes, you can use ground turkey in this recipe. We put cooked turkey in the soup for food safety reasons. We want to be absolutely sure each and every small piece of turkey is completely cooked, so we cook the turkey before it goes into the soup. Turkey is a very durable meat and should not overcook in the soup. Thanks for asking!
Could this be done with butternut squash instead of pumpkin? Although not available canned there are other options and then there are the workaholics
Hi Eilismaura! Yes, you may use butternut squash in this recipe. Happy slow cooking!
Can I use my frozen pumpkin instead of canned?
Hi Mary! Frozen pumpkin may have a bit more liquid than canned pumpkin. Still, it should be fine to use cooked, frozen pumpkin in this recipe. Thanks!
What kind of nutritional values are in this? Calories per serving, etc.
Can leftovers be frozen? There are just 2 of us we cannot eat it all before getting tired of it.
Hi Jurhee! Yes, you can freeze the chili for later. Thanks for asking!
If I use ground turkey, how much do I need to cook, beforehand?
Hi Becky! If you use ground turkey, cook 2 1/2 cups beforehand. Thanks!
Just want you to know, I am going to try this! It sounds wonderful! I am going to use ground turkey, however. And I always cook my meat prior to adding to my soups in a crock pot.
Sounds just amazing! I couldn’t wait so I’m making it for tonight. It’s all in the slow cooker and it smells even better than it sounds!
> We ABSOLUTELY LOVED this! Will definitely make this again and again and again. I made it with ground turkey (cooked ahead of time with onions and pepper and garlic) and one small can of chicken broth. Added about 2 teaspoons of salt and upped the cumin and chili powder. Love this love this love this!
I tried it with ground turkey. I didn’t cook it ahead… can’t see the logic because meat cooks in other recipes on low at this length of time. It worked great! I used lean ground turkey, which has half the fat as the regular (which must have dark and light meat).
We have found that we can cook chicken, turkey, hamburger ahead and drain off a lot of the fat so that we don’t get the greasy residue if there are left overs to be refrigerated. We do our Hamburger for chili and other dishes in the microwave taking out about halfway and breaking into smaller grains for the soups and so on but draining a rinsing before adding to these recipes.and many times we have left over grilled chicken that we cut up and add to soups for a tad extra flavor…left over cooked turkey can be frozen and used also so it saves a bit of time preparing.
oh my goodness, I cannot wait to make this …….. it sounds fabulous! Thank you so much for all your fabulous recipes, I make them all the time!!!!
Made this today…It was AMAZING! Doesn’t taste “pumpkin-y.” Just tasted like really great chili! Thanks for the recipe!
> Also, used chopped turkey breast. It was really great!
Can you omit the tomatoes? I have acid reflux and can’t eat them.
Great chili – family loved it. NO WAY it was 12 servings! I don’t know what size bowls you would use to get that. For my family of 4, there were no leftovers.
I cooked this with ground turkey, and my entire family raved over how good it was. Even my very picky youngest child who hates all things healthy, said she loved it and asked for seconds!
Wow, How cool..I’ve never heard of this.