I used this recipe when I was throwing a chili cookoff at my house and I decided to compete in the "Most Interesting Ingredient" category. This was a wonderful recipe, but I did change it: I used a large can of pumpkin, I substituted black beans, I added approx. 1/4 cup chili powder and doubled the cumin and added approx. 1/4 cup sugar. I actually won my own chili competition with this recipe! It's wonderful! (but some of the best recipes are ones that you alter to fit your own style!)
My potluck guests loved this chili. I used 1 1/2 lbs hamburg instead of 2 lbs, added 2 15 oz cans of black beans and an additional can of kidney beans (drained), an entire 15 oz can of pumpkin puree, omitted the sugar and added 2 tsp cumin and 2 tsp cayenne. This was fabulous chili! Thanks so much for the recipe, Teresa.
I won an "Iron Chef" competition with this (the secret ingredient had to be pumpkin - was totally unique!) Did add a few things though -
2 cloves minced garlic
FULL can of the pumpkin puree
"dash" of kosher salt
and a lot more chili powder
....delicious and unique!
This is a great unique chili! It rather reminded me of a middle eastern dish because of the cinnamon blended with cumin. (yes I added a bit of cumin in addition to the chili powder.) I also used tofu instead of ground beef which is my usual vegetarian substitution in chili. A great combination of flavors to give a delicious chili!
Very good chili. Used 1 lb fround beef and 1 lb ground pork. Also used good quality ancho chili powder. Thought the smokiness of the ancho chilis would compliment the pumpkin. Did not have pumpkin pie spice, so I used a mix of cinnanmon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Only used about 1 Tbps of sugar. Used about 3/4th of can of tomato juice just because I like my chili thick.
I listened to other reviewers and made the following adjustments: used 1 # of ground turkey & 1 # of ground beef; used one red bell pepper instead of green; instead of tomato juice I used 2 (15 oz.) cans of tomato sauce; added 2 cloves minced garlic; added in the whole 15 oz. can of pumpkin; used 2 T. pumpkin pie spice 1 1/2 T. chili powder reduced sugar to 1 T. brown sugar; added in 1/2 tsp. cayenne 1 tsp. curry 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper and 1 tsp. cumin. With these changes it was the right consistency (not runny as the tomato juice users complained of) and flavorful. I think it tasted even better the next day.
Entered a chili cookoff competition at work with this recipe and came in second. Everyone gave it high marks and mainly wanted to taste it due to the uniqueness of using pumpkin in a chili. Am planning to enter it in a chili competition at a local festival next year.
This recipe is a perfect blend of chili and pumpkin pie. The spices comingle nicely on the tongue. It was a hit with my picky husband and 3 year old.
Loved it! Fall is my favorite season and this chili fast-forwarded the seasons for me. My husband thought it was too sweet but I finished it off.
Hmmm. I like pumpkin both in desserts and in dinner foods but I think what I didn't like about this chili is that it's throwing the dessert right into the dinner... I don't enjoy sweetened meat so I left out the sugar but the pumpkin pie spice was still very sweetish (even though I put in less than 1/2 tablespoon for a big vat of chili). I'd suggest starting the pumpkin pie spice at 1/2 teaspoon and taste-testing from there to see if you want to add more. I ended up increasing the chili powder by at least double and adding a tablespoon of cumin a tablespoon of beef bouillon a tablespoon of tomato bouillon and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (too mild otherwise) to mask the sweetness of the pie spice. I also increased the pumpkin to 1 cup and added black pepper to taste. In the end that combination worked for me--it came out tasty and appealing even for my boyfriend who doesn't like chili. But given that the recipe makes a lot and it's not my favorite ever I don't think I'll make it again (save my spices and puree for pies!)
