Turkey & Chili Never Had It So Good
As the weather begins to turn crisp and cool, nothing seems to sooth the soul quite like a tasty bowl of chili. This recipe was created on a whim after hearing relatives talk about all the pumpkin flavored dishes available at a fall festival in their area. We enjoyed it for supper one night, lunch the next day, and so on until nothing was left! Later that same week, I fixed it for a group of ladies from church who were visiting the Emporium for our monthly get together. It seemed to be a hit since more than one of the ladies came back for seconds. This recipe is incredibly simple to throw together in a crock pot or on the stove, so don’t be intimidated by the list of ingredients. Opening cans is the most difficult part of this recipe. Enjoy some yummy goodness today!
Harvest Chili
8 oz. ground turkey
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon chili seasoning blend
½ teaspoon garam masala
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Combine these ingredients in a small bowl until well blended. In a sauté pan over medium heat, thoroughly cook this aggressively seasoned turkey mixture. This is the beginning of our flavor base!
Turn heat down to low and add the following to the pan:
29 oz. can pumpkin puree
6 oz. can tomato paste
4 oz. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
Blend these ingredients into the turkey mixture. Allow to cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent scorching.
At this point the flavor base is ready to be transferred to a stock pot.
29 oz. can pinto beans, drained & rinsed
29 oz. can northern beans, drained & rinsed
14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons chili seasoning blend
2 teaspoons garam masala
5 cups water
Gently combine these ingredients with the flavor base and bring to a boil, stirring regularly to prevent scorching. Immediately reduce to a simmer and cook at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Before serving, adjust chili seasoning & salt to your family’s tastes.
In my humble opinion, Harvest Chili is best when prepared predominately in a slow cooker. At the point in the recipe where one transfers the flavor base to a stock pot, just throw the whole shebang in a crockpot, give it a good stir and forget about it until supper! A low setting is best as it avoids the omnipresent chili problem of scorching!
Click the link below to open a printable version of this recipe!
