Tasty Bites: Three-Bean Beef and Sausage Chili with Pumpkin

By Beth V

Chili is one of my favorite dishes to serve for company in the fall. It can be made at least a day ahead, and it is warm and satisfying for even the heartiest appetites. You can also easily adjust chili according to your mood. White Chicken Chili, Beef Chili, Sausage Chili, mild, spicy, full of beans, no beans, it can be almost endlessly customized without really messing it up. One day, I wanted to make chili and I gathered all I had on hand to just throw it together, including some leftover pumpkin puree from another recipe. Well, I discovered that we really love our pumpkin chili! Whenever I have made a random chili recipe or a quick throw-together since, my husband taste-tests it and says that he thinks we need to add some pumpkin. Pumpkin adds an earthiness and a slight sweetness that blends right in and really ties the flavors together. If you’ve never tried adding pumpkin to your chili, you don’t know what you’re missing! And the subtle flavor and color blends so well into the chili that no one would ever know it is in there.

Pumpkin also adds more nutrition to what can already be a pretty healthy meal. If your chili is full of beans and veggies along with the meat and tomatoes, it is already a great source of protein, fiber, and antioxidants. Even the chili peppers that make your chili spicy have tremendous health benefits.  Pumpkin adds even more fiber and vitamin A. I love that pumpkin is packed with nutrition because it is such a fun seasonal ingredient, but I like it even more for the subtle way it makes my chili recipes taste better.

This recipe is full of beans and veggies. Start by chopping some onions, carrots and peppers. I chose to use one red and one green pepper because that is what I had available, but you can use whichever variety you have on hand. Sauté the chopped vegetables in olive oil over medium-high heat until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Next add the cumin and stir it into the veggies, allowing the cumin to become toasty and aromatic. This recipe does not include chili powder but if it did, it should be added at this point and allowed to toast for a minute or so along with the cumin. This step brings out more flavor than just adding these spices to the liquid ingredients.

Now we add the meat. I got creative because I was making a large recipe and only had enough lean ground beef for a smaller recipe. I decided to use half beef and half ground Italian sausage and I really like the flavor of this combination. Brown the meat together with the veggies until no pink remains, breaking up the meat with your spoon as it cooks.

Once the meat is cooked through, add all of the liquid ingredients and remaining spices – tomatoes, pumpkin, broth, oregano, salt and pepper and a bit of brown sugar along with 2 chopped chipotle chilies and some of the adobo sauce they come packed in. Chipotle chilies are just smoked jalapeno peppers packed in a deliciously spicy sauce. They offer a rich, smoky, spicy flavor that is more interesting than standard chili powder. They are sold in small cans which are sold in most grocery stores, including WalMart, in the Hispanic foods section. I have to say that just 2 small chilies added to this huge pot really did make it quite warm in the spice department. I considered it to be a perfect heat…it definitely had a kick but I did not find it overpowering. If you like things a little on the less-spicy-side start with just one of the chopped peppers and half the sauce and add more to taste.  You will have several leftover chilies and you can puree them in a blender or food processor and freeze them in ice cube trays and then transfer to a freezer bag for use in future recipes. One cube equals approximately 1 chili with sauce.

Allow this mixture to simmer for 30 minutes and then add in the beans and simmer at least 30 minutes longer. It can be simmered for much longer on a very low heat if you have time. Taste it and see if it needs any additional salt or pepper.

I think chili and many soups and sauces taste better when they can sit in the refrigerator overnight and be reheated and served the next day. I placed the cooked chili into a crock pot the following morning and allowed it to reheat while we were at church. It was perfectly warm in time for our after-church lunch company. We enjoyed ours with some shredded cheddar, chopped green onions and a dollop of sour cream. We also offered tortilla chips and Fritos as a topping and corn bread and spinach salad on the side.

Try adding some pumpkin to your chili next time you make it! You can decide whether to tell your guests about your secret ingredient.

Enjoy!

Three-Bean Beef and Sausage Chili with Pumpkin
Adapted from a Food Network recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, diced (2 cups)

1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)

1 green pepper, diced (1 cup)

4 carrots, diced (1 cup)

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 pound extra-lean ground beef (90 percent lean)

1 pound ground Italian sausage

2 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 (15.5-ounce) can pumpkin puree

4 cups chicken broth

2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, minced

1 tablespoon adobo sauce from the can of chipotles

1 teaspoon dried oregano         

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 (15.5-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 (15.5-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the ground beef and Italian sausage; cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink.

Stir in the tomatoes, pumpkin, broth, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce, oregano, brown sugar and salt and pepper. Return to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium. Simmer, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes.

Stir in the beans and cook, partially covered, 30 minutes or longer if desired. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. For optimal flavor, refrigerate overnight, reheat and serve the next day.

Beth is a stay-at-home mom of three wonderfully active children ages seven, four and one. She is married to Jason V (who also writes for us here at MAD21) and spends her days teaching, changing diapers, sweeping up Cheerios, stepping over Legos, keeping peace among the kids, and enjoying the creative outlet of cooking.