Pumpkin Chili

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 30 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8 Servings

This recipe happened because my favorite cooking reference, Google, totally failed me. It was Halloween and I was inspired. Pumpkin chili was on the menu. One of our children was a vegetarian and it seemed like a wonderful, hearty solution. But I had no recipe and Google was no help. I even looked through actual cookbooks. Every version I found contained meat, pumpkin purée, or both. My vision was a meat-free dish with chunks of pumpkin. Goshdarnit, the pumpkin chili was happening, recipe or not. I decided to wing it.

Ingredients

1 (3-pound) pie pumpkin, or other orange-fleshed squash such as butternut, Red Kuri, or Golden Hubbard
8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal
2 medium turnips (about 12 ounces total)
2 medium red bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 (10-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, such as Rotel
2 (16-ounce) cans chili beans, drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Several dashes vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Balsamic vinegar
Chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream

Instructions

Peel the pumpkin or squash and cut into 1-inch pieces. (To make it easier to peel the pumpkin, cut in half, remove the seeds — and set aside for roasting! — and then microwave each half cut-side down in a shallow dish of water for 5 minutes, or roast the halves at 450°F for about 15 minutes. When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, shave off the skin with a sharp knife.)
In a 6-quart or larger Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. When melted, whisk in the cornmeal until smooth, then stir in the pumpkin, turnip, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes.
Add the broth, diced tomatoes and their juices, beans, and corn. Stir in the chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring back to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour, or until the pumpkin and turnip are tender. (It gets even better if simmered longer — a whole afternoon, if you have the time.)
Before serving, taste and season with salt and pepper and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Serve hot with green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream if desired.