Pumpkin Chipotle Chili

Once I really started cooking, I stopped buying a lot of convenience foods because I wanted to be authentic and make everything myself. Yes, overachiever… table for one. But then I remind myself that most people are just trying to get something on the table each night.

Last week when I was in Aldi, I came across some sauces that I found interesting and this was one of them! When I brought it home and showed it to Bill, his reaction was that of a nine-year-old as he turned up his nose and loudly said, “Ewwwwww!” It might have been in that moment that I knew I had a winner! (Both with the sauce and my soul mate).

I wasn’t sure what I was going to use it for until yesterday while I was eating my lunch and reading some food blogs that I came across a recipe for Pumpkin Chili. That’s when I knew what I’d use it for and I was excited to get home and give it a try!

Of course when I got home, my ground turkey was a solid mass of frozeness. So I hopped back online and researched how to thaw and cook the ground beef in my new Quick Cooker! (BTW, I’m really loving this thing and I never saw myself embracing it the way I have!)

After adding the trivet and some beef stock instead of water, I put in the frozen hunk of ground turkey on top of the trivet, set it to Chicken/Poultry and adjusted the time to 20 minutes. Off it went and when it was done, the ground turkey was perfectly cooked! I chopped it up with my Mix ‘N Chop, then drained it.

I set the Quick Cooker to saute and added the chopped onion and got it started and cooked it a minute or two until it started to soften.  Then I mixed back in the ground turkey. This will be the way I do my frozen ground meats from here on out. I used to thaw them in the microwave and that always ended up not great. It was overcooked in some spots and completely raw in others. Yuck! This was cooked perfectly and evenly throughout.

Next went in the red pepper (I’ll use green next time for more color contrast), beans, tomatoes (undrained) and the sauce. I gave it a quick stir and then set it to cook on the Stew/Chili setting for 8 minutes. I let it release on its own and then it automatically kicks into the Keep Warm setting (I LOVE LOVE LOVE that feature!) And it was absolutely perfect when Bill got home!

He loved it! (As I knew he would!) After he had eaten about half of it, I asked him if he liked the flavor. Then I asked him what he thought it tasted like? He wasn’t sure so I confessed and told him what I had used and he was genuinely impressed!

And then he ask that I make it again!  Guess I better run back to the store and get a few more bottles before it’s gone for the season!

I hope you try this recipe and let me know how you like it! And what was great is that most of these things (aside from the sauce) are usually what’s on hand so it’s easy for a weeknight and even easier in the pressure cooker!

Pumpkin Chipotle Chili
Serves 12

2 pounds ground turkey
1 cup white onion, chopped
1 24oz jar Pumpkin Chipotle Pasta Sauce
1 cup red pepper, chopped
1 15oz can black beans, drained
1 15oz can cannellini beans, drained
1 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
toppings of your choice

1. Turn your instant pot to the Sear/Saute setting. Add in the ground turkey and break it up with the Mix ‘N Chop. Brown it for a couple minutes and then add in the onion and saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. (If you’re using ground beef you may have to drain off grease). Press Cancel.
2. Add in the sauce, red pepper, black beans, cannellini beans, and tomatoes and stir to combine.
3. Cover and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to “sealing.” Set pressure cooker to Stew/Chili and adjust the time to 8 minutes.  Press Start.
4. When the timer beeps let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes (or more, if you have time). When you are ready to eat, manually release any remaining steam and remove the Lid.
5. Stir the chili and then season to taste.
6. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with desired toppings. This chili tastes better as leftovers than it does the day of! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. This chili would also freeze well. Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!

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