I really like to eat chili in the fall. When we went pumpkin picking, I picked out the perfect size pumpkin to hold enough chili for six people. Scoop out some of the pumpkin along with the chili when you serve it. I like to top it with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream. You can make it spicy if you want with some chili powder. We like to use corn chip instead of spoons. It tastes amazing!
Ingredients
- 1 small sugar pumpkin (3 to 5 pounds)
Chili Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion – diced
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper – Only use this if you like fire coming out of your ears!
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 2 (15 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes
- 2 (16 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Wash the pumpkin, cut off the top (about two inches from stem), and clean out the inside.
- Then, make the chili:
- Add the olive oil to a large soup pot and place it over medium-high heat for two minutes. Add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ground beef to the pot. Break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the beef is browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add the cumin, smoked paprika, sugar, tomato paste, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and optional cayenne. Stir until well combined.
- Add the broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), and beans. Stir well.
- Bring the liquid to a low boil. Then, reduce the heat (low to medium-low) to gently simmer the chili, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Finally, scoop the chili into the pumpkin, close the lid and put it on a baking tray (to catch the juices!). Bake for 1 hour.
