Fall has come and gone, but I see nothing wrong with enjoying traditional fall flavors any time of the year. Next time you need some food that makes you feel warm and cozy, look to this Harvest Pumpkin Chili to fill that need. Loaded with flavors reminiscent of pumpkin pie, smoked chiles, chocolate, and a touch of spice, this is the perfect vegan answer to American chili that will not disappoint.
* Special Note: While this dish is vegan, it is not gluten free. If this is a concern for you, simply remove the beer and add 12 oz water, slightly increase the fall spices, and consider adding a touch of shaved dark chocolate.
When preparing this chili you can either finish it in roughly an hour or let it simmer for 6-8 hours. While you may develop more homogeneous and robust flavors by cooking it longer, it will affect the overall texture. If you aren’t sure which version you will prefer, try both and go from there!
Alright let’s dive in:
Begin by preparing your ingredients. I recommend rough dicing the onion and yellow pepper. By doing this you will add more to the bite and give some integrity to the vegetables that will pair well with the diced tomatoes and beans. Make your life easy and measure out your spices, open any containers, and preheat your pan to medium high.
Once all of your ingredients are prepared and your cooking vessel is preheated, add 2 tablespoons of oil and chopped onions and saute for 3-4 minutes. You will want these to be just starting to turn translucent when you add in the yellow pepper and saute for a minute before adding the spices and stirring to combine. Allow the spices to warm until fragrant and add your tomato paste stirring continuously to prevent scorching. While you could choose to add the tomato paste later, adding it now will enhance the already hearty umami flavors that the paste is providing.
Reduce cooking heat to low and add your beer of choice, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to get any fond that has developed. Stir in your fire roasted tomatoes, rinsed black beans, and pumpkin puree ensuring that everything is well combined.
Now is where you choose if you are going to cook your chili for an hour or 8 hours. It truly is personal choice so play with the timing until you are satisfied. It never hurts to taste along the way and stopping when you are happy with the result.
Once finished, allow your chili to rest covered and off the heat for 15-30 minutes. Doing this will allow the chili to tighten up slightly and for your flavors to meld just a little longer. Serve with your toppings of choice. I recommend any combination of chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, and tortilla strips. If you aren’t looking for a vegan dish you can easily top the chili with a dollop of sour cream or some cheese of your choice. As with any chili, do yourself a favor and have some sweet cornbread on the side!
I hope you enjoy this chili! Its:
- Rich
- Smokey
- Simple to make
- A bowl of fall to the face
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 15 oz cans Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 2 14.5 oz cans Fire Roasted Diced Tomato
- 12 oz Pumpkin Puree
- 4 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 12 oz Beer fall/winter spiced brown, or stout
- 2 cups Sweet Onion diced
- 1 large Yellow Bell Pepper diced
- 1 tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 tbsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin ground
- 1 tsp Cinnamon ground
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt fine
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper ground
- 1/2 tsp Cayenne Powder
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg ground
- 1/8 tsp Cloves ground
Instructions
- Preparations:– Dice onion and yellow pepper– Open containers– Measure spices– Preheat heating vessel over medium high
- Once preheated, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and diced onions sauteing until they begin to appear translucent (approximately 3-4 minutes).
- Add the diced yellow bell pepper and stir to combine.
- Add all of the spices to the pepper and onion mixture and stir to coat evenly. Allow to saute briefly to warm the spices until fragrant. Add tomato paste, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
- Reduce heat to low and add the beer. Add fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, and pumpkin puree stirring to combine well.
- Cover and allow to simmer for an hour stirring occasionally.
- After 60 minutes, remove from heat and allow to rest covered for 15-30 minutes.
Notes
- Cheese
- Sour Cream
- Chopped Cilantro
- Sliced Avocado
- Tortilla Strips
