Last fall, I made a slow cooker pumpkin chili that was quite delicious. I’ve made chili many times since then, but not without the slow cooker, and I haven’t added pumpkin.
Things have been busy at work, so I really wanted to make a dinner that I could prep right when I walked in the door, and then let it cook on it’s own for about half an hour.
I also had some pumpkin puree that I wanted to use. I remembered how nicely the pumpkin thickened the chili, without imparting any pumpkin flavor. Here is what I ended up using, and it tasted fantastic!
Quick Bison Pumpkin Chili (serves 4)
- 1 lb. ground bison (or other ground meat)
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 T. garlic, minced
- 4 T. chili powder
- salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 box Pomi diced tomatoes (or two cans, or 1 large can)
- 1 c. pumpkin puree
- 1 T. worcestershire sauce
Directions: Saute the onion and garlic in a pot until the onion is translucent. Add the ground bison, and stir to crumble and cook. Once the bison is browned, add the bell pepper, chili powder, salt and pepper. Saute until everything is mixed, just a couple of minutes. Add the tomatoes, pumpkin and worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer over low heat until dinnertime.
We kept it simple on this particular night. No garnish or side dish. Of course, you could always add diced jalopenos, greek yogurt (or sour cream), green onions or cheese.
The chili itself had excellent flavor, even without my secret ingredient. And while I’m sure the leftovers will taste even better, not using the slow cooker still produced an excellent dinner.
For a vegan chili recipe, this is my favorite: Vegan Chili
This Sunday is the Super Bowl. How many of you will be making chili for part of the festivities? Bob and I are getting together with Jeff and Marla on Sunday to watch the big game. Marla and I haven’t had an M²T³ Event in way too long, so we’re pretty excited to plan the menu. Chili is definitely on our list, along with dishes from Marla’s cookbook, Pigskin Paleo, and few new recipes as well. We’re going to have a blast!
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Brilliant! I’m excited to try chili with pumpkin
sounds perfect! now i really need a slow cooker!
I’m a huge fan of chili. I keep seeing recipes with pumpkin in it, but I’ve never tried it. I’m definitely curious to see the difference.
This sounds delicious! Is there anything better than opening your door to a warm meal, ready and waiting?
I can’t wait to see photos of the amazing foods you eat on Sunday
me too Alex hehe
Looks tasty! I love chili. Haven’t tried bison chili but I’ve had bison burgers and they were great.
I’ve never thought about adding pureed pumpkin… I’ve added pumpkin or squash cubes, but will have to give this a try. Looks delish!
Mmmmm I need to try putting pumpkin in my chilli. I have so many cans of pumpkin just sitting in the fridge!
We’re having chili tonight! I new Paleo recipe I whipped up is in the crockpot cooking away as I type. I hope it tastes as good as it smells
Oh wow! I’ve heard of people eating Bison recently on blogs and have been wondering what’s up with that. I pretty much don’t eat meat because I know how badly the animals are treated and the crap that they have to eat
It’s great that you’re making getting your meat from a reliable source. Too bad I don’t have a car to go to farms 
gosh i love bison! but right now we have venison in the freezer. I think that would work too, right?
This looks delicious! I’ve never thought of using pumpkin puree in chili. Do you know if there is anything bad in canned pumpkin?
Love pumpkin in chili
This looks delicious!! My husband and I were just talking about chili the other night and now you have inspired me to make some!
Sweetie, I know I’ve told you this before.. but you share such AWESOME recipes. What would I do without you??!!!
Oooo, this looks delicious! I love bison and don’t come across nearly enough recipes with it. Chili is such a satisfying meal, and I always feel so healthy when I eat it. I’ll definitely have to try the cocoa powder sometime, though I have to admit, I’m a little gun-shy. I don’t think I’ve ever had it in anything savory, but I’m always looking to branch out!
I have never made anything with bison but I bet the BOY would love this! I am a huge fan of pumpkin chili and this weekend looks like it will be perfect for it!
Soooo yea…. when are you throwing a dinner party? / I’m invited right
This looks phenomenal!