Harvest Turkey Chili
The second cooler weather hits, it is CHILI time in our house, and this Harvest Turkey Chili fits the bill on so many levels! This is not your traditional Tex-Mex version; for that type of chili, head straight on over to EJ’s Chili Brick Chili, which is spicy, tomato-y and meaty. No, this Harvest Turkey Chili is altogether different, and also super delicious. Instead of tomatoes, there is a can of pumpkin puree. And before you think, oh wait pumpkin is sweet…no it isn’t. Pumpkin is a type of squash and is actually very neutral in flavor on its own. The unsweetened canned pumpkin is not sweet at all and lends a definite creaminess to the chili. You will NOT miss the tomatoes. As a matter of fact, my husband EJ thought there were tomatoes in this recipe when I first made it.
Poblano peppers lend a bit of heat, but not too much. You could also add a jalapeno or two and up the heat quotient a good bit. The white beans that I use are Navy Beans, but you could sub Great Northern beans or really any ones you like. Use ground turkey or ground chicken; either works fine. For the sausage, you can use ground Italian sausage or the ground breakfast sausage in a roll. Hot or mild; of course I like hot. This is one of those recipes that is easy to swap out ingredients without sacrificing taste.
We love serving Harvest Turkey Chili over shell pasta or a scoop of rice–my Simply Perfect Oven Rice is great with it. Don’t forget lots of yummy toppings, such as avocado, green onion, shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, chopped cilantro, fresh or pickled jalapenos, and Yellowbird hot sauce! Also, Tajin seasoning is amazing on top; limey, salty, slightly spicy. So good!
Harvest Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey can sub ground chicken
- 1 pound hot ground breakfast sausage can sub Italian sausage; hot or mild
- 1 large poblano pepper chopped
- 1 large sweet onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced; I use Trader Joe's frozen garlic cubes
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 to 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- pinch red pepper flakes to taste
- ½ teaspoon Tajin seasoning optional
- 1 cup beer your favorite; I use Corona Premier
- 1 can chopped green chiles
- 1 15 ounce can unsweetened pumpkin puree NOT pumpkin pie filling!
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cans white navy beans, drained well can sub great northern or your favorite chili bean
- handful cilantro chopped fine
- cooked rice or cooked pasta shells for serving
- shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, green onions, avocado, additional cilantro, hot sauce, Tajin seasoning for topping
Instructions
- Heat up a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil and the ground chicken and sausage. Lightly season the chicken with garlic salt and black pepper. Cook, breaking up the sausage in to pieces, until the meat is brown and almost done.
- Add in the poblano pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook for about 5-6 minutes, until vegetables are softened and onion is translucent. Now add the dried spices, including the black pepper, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the Tajin seasoning, if using. (And I do recommend you use it!) Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Add in the beer and green chiles and stir.
- At this point, now add in the canned pumpkin and the chicken stock, stir well, then add the drained white beans. Stir well to combine and then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low/medium low and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- After 20 minutes, taste for salt, and if the chili is too thick for your tastes, add a bit more chicken stock. Add in the chopped cilantro and stir well.
- To serve, place rice or pasta shells in the bottom of your individual serving dishes. Ladle out the chili and top with your favorite toppings. My fave toppings are shredded sharp cheddar, sour cream, chopped green onions, avocado, cilantro, Yellowbird hot sauce and Tajin seasoning. Enjoy!