I was anxious to try this recipe thinking that my kids would not be fans of it. When I served it, I just said, "chili" and left out of the pumpkin part. All my kids loved it. It is very mild and doesn't have the spice that some chilies are famous for.
It has a sweetness from the pumpkin and the spices are perfection. And honestly the pumpkin adds a thickness to it that makes it feel like you are eating a really substantial stew.
It has the added benefit of being all vegetarian, and you can make it with cans that you can have on hand in your pantry. It can make a great stand-by meal that you can have on your menu, just in case.
And although it can be made in the crock pot, you don't have to make it that way, you can easily just add the ingredients and heat it up on the stove.
Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium pepper, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
2 15 oz. cans pumpkin
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
15 oz. can Great Northern Beans
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 oz. cream cheese
Directions
Heat olive oil in medium sized sauté pan. Sauté onions and peppers until translucent, about 4 minutes.
Add sautéed onions and peppers to crockpot.
To crockpot add all ingredients except the cream cheese.
Cook 2-3 hours on high, or 7-8 hours on low.
Before serving, stir in cream cheese until melted.
