Cold nights make for warming suppers. It could be hockey practice or football game or even a night out Trick or Treating. Kids of any age will enjoy coming in from the cold to a tasty hot meal baking in the oven, filling a home with delicious aroma that signals dinner is ready.
This version lets the oven do the work as you follow ghosts and goblins around the block, play chauffeur for the team or finish off the last details for a Samhain buffet. Actually if you are doing a buffet, doubling the recipe, getting a larger pumpkin and baking it a little longer might be a good idea. This recipe serves 4 – 6.
Pumpkins are everywhere this time of the year. The leaves have died off and fields are full of orange orbs waiting to be taken home and carved with scary faces to protect the home. Full of Vitamin A, pumpkins are great for supporting eye health. They are also a good source of fiber which helps with that full feeling and aids digestion.
You will need:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
1 lb. ground turkey or turkey leftovers, chopped or ground
1 small can of corn
28 oz. can diced tomatoes
14 oz. can red kidney beans
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. black pepper
pinch of salt
red pepper sauce to taste
fresh whole pumpkin, about 7 inches wide
3 – 4 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
sour cream and chopped chives or green onions for serving
Gather the ingredients and begin by creating space in your kitchen to focus on the task at hand. Sacred space is created by simple things like, washing hands to release any nigglies that rob you of your attention, separating there and here by putting on an apron, closing eyes and focusing inward to clarify intention and a deep breath to find balance before beginning.
Wash and dry the outside of the pumpkin. Cut off the top 2 -3 inches down to give full access to the inside. Scoop out all the inside pulp and seeds then place pumpkin and top into a 9 x 13 inch pan or something similar. Put aside.
Wash peppers while oil heats in a medium pot.
If the choice was fresh ground turkey then start with the meat and brown it before adding the vegetables. If you have precooked turkey and are using up leftovers, then start with the vegetables and add the cooked turkey meat with the corn and beans below.
Chop peppers, onion and garlic and place in pot. Stir as they soften and the onions become translucent.
As the vegetables cook, open the tins of corn, kidney beans and tomatoes.
Strain and wash the kidney beans, strain the corn which will probably have very little liquid and keep the liquid in the can of diced tomatoes.
Once the peppers and onion are tender, add the tinned ingredients, pumpkin puree and all spices except for the red pepper sauce.
Stir together and allow the mixture to come back to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook with the lid on for twenty minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Add the red pepper sauce to suit your taste and stir well. Taste test and add more as needed.
Transfer the chili to the pumpkin and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Option one is to grate the Cheddar cheese and cover the top of the pumpkin.
Option two would be to replace the pumpkin top and sprinkle the cheese on top of each bowl when served.
Bake for an hour or until the pumpkin flesh is soft when punctured by a fork.
Serve with sour cream, a sprinkle of chopped chives abnd a scoop of baked pumpkin. Be careful when opening the cheese top as the inside will be hot. For children, it might be good to allow a few minutes of cooling before passing out the bowls.
Serving the chili from the pumpkin IN THE DISH it was baked in is an excellent idea as trying to transfer the cooked pumpkin to another serving plate can prove challenging if the bottom is well baked. Just saying…..
New picture October/2022, first pumpkin of the season, freshly scooped with Pumpkin Turkey Chili for dinner tonight.
Pumpkin Turkey Chili from My Kitchen Wand
