Chilli Pumpkin Recipe

This year our pumpkin harvest was fantastic. I have given away half a dozen and we have enough left to make many more meals based on pumpkin over the coming months. Last year I came up with so many new pumpkin recipes I have been struggling to think up anything else. That was the case until I searched “pumpkin recipe” images on Pinterest. I found a few that were titled Pumpkin Chilli, all from American based sites where the recipe looked like spaghetti bolognese and contained tinned pumpkin. Did you know there was such a thing? I have never seen it here and have to admit it sounds horrible. Due to the fact that I have never tried tinned pumpkin it I will avoid making a call on it. We do use tinned tomatoes, beans, beetroot once in a while so maybe pumpkin in a tin is great?? Anyway, I have a selection of gorgeous home grown pumpkin to use so this weekend I used those Pinterest images as inspiration to come up with this Chipotle Pumpkin Chilli recipe.

When I am seeking ingredients to round out a recipe idea after I have shopped the backyard for vegetables I often head to my local fruit store to be inspired. They sell a wide array of organic and local products and ingredients. I was pondering what the base of this recipe could be made of so that I could cook the meal in one pot. I began thinking I’d use farro as the base until I spotted Organic Black Turtle Beans. The packet description described the beans as used for Mexican and South American dishes, perfect! If you can’t find them you could add red kidney beans, or lentils instead.

When I start cooking a new recipe I get out my notepad and pen (yes I use paper) and I line up ingredients on the kitchen bench, I look at them, smell some things, shuffle them around and bring things in and out of the pantry to add to the growing collection on the bench. If I am sure about some ingredients I will start to write then down before I start cooking in the order and quantity I want to use. Then I am ready to start. That is how this recipe evolved. I had dried chipotle chilli in the pantry and some tinned beans, some fresh ingredients and it was bubbling away on the stove not long afterwards.

Chipotle has a smoky flavour, it is not a very hot chilli. My 7 year old is ok with this recipe but the smoky flavour and minor heat level is not something my 4 year old would eat. To make a child friendly version simply add a scoop or three pile of all of the ingredients into a small pan without the inclusion of the chilli. Overall the texture is similar to my Home Made Baked Beans.

You could add baby spinach leaves when serving if you would like to add an extra ingredient. We have enjoyed this dish served as a meal but you could also serve it as a side dish and it is fabulous served on squashed baked potatoes with the avocado mashed on top and dressed with the coriander, or on top of corn chips as per a nacho style dish. Your imagination is the limit.

Otherwise, I hope you are staying warm and that you get to enjoy this new vegetarian recipe.

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{ 1 comment… add one }

I have just printed this recipe out – sounds amazing and very warming for the icy Hobart weather about to hit us! my dad has been growing amazing pumpkins so this will be great.
my impression (gathered over the years) is that tinned pumpkin is using for pumpkin pie in America, and maybe sweetened and/or spiced.