Pumpkin Chili

I made this chili a few nights ago, and it was out of this world. I did change the recipe around a bit, but I got the idea from BellaOnline. I was a bit annoyed at the recipe because it didn't specify the form of pumpkin. Yes, most of us will get the canned puree, but there's always the chance you want whole pumpkin cubes, as you would for a delicious-sounding Thai soup with coconut milk and pumpkin.

But I figured I would try the recipe anyway, as I was yearning for something hearty and filling, and a good way to use my oh-so-healthy pumpkin.

Do you remember the meatloaf recipe I posted before? I made most of it in my muffin tin. However, I only have one muffin tin, and there was more meatloaf mixture then there was room in the tin. So I wrapped the biiig clump I had left in six slices of bacon, and popped it in a large ramekin to bake. This large meat cake was still sitting in my refrigerator at the time of making chili, and I decided to use it to speed the recipe up. So I chopped my meat cake and used it in this recipe. You, however, don't have to make meatloaf to have chili!

Pumpkin Chili

1 lbs ground beef, or ground beef and ground pork
6 strips chopped bacon, cooked through but not crispy (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1/2 can pumpkin
1 poblano pepper, roasted, skinned, de-seeded, and chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp pepper
dash salt
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

In a frying pan, saute the ground meat, onion, red pepper and garlic until meat is brown. Pour off grease if needed and add in tomatoes, pumpkin, poblano, cumin, pepper and salt. Mix well. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with cheese and sour cream as desired.

Alternately, plug in your slow cooker and set it to high. Pour in the tomatoes, pumpkin, poblano, and seasonings, as well as the bacon, if you're using it. Brown the meat and scoop it into the slow cooker with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the pan. Saute the red pepper until it brightens up and is slightly soft, and pour into the slow cooker. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent and just beginning to brown. Add the onion-garlic mixture to the slow cooker. Cover and let cook for an hour and a half. Serve with cheese and sour cream.