Spiced Pumpkin and Chorizo Chili
This chili is perfect for fall with it's spiced pumpkin, crispy chorizo and glazed apples.
Equipment
- Dutch oven (or large stock pot)
- Chef's knife
- Cheese grater
- Immersion blender (optional)
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- wooden spoon
- cast Iron skillet (or any skillet)
Ingredients
Chili
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 diced sweet onion
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 4 tsp harissa (or chile) paste
- 4 cups pumpkin puree
- 4 cups bone broth
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar we use raw cheddar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or coconut cream we use raw cream to make it more nutrient dense.
- 2 tsp chile powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Chili Topping
- 1 large honeycrisp apple
- 1 tbs maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 lb chorizo sometimes we use one pack of the soy chorizo from Trader Joe's
- .5 cup Shredded cheese
Side (optional)
- 1 loaf sourdough bread
Instructions
Chili
- Dice your onion and apple and shred your cheese.
- In a dutch oven or large stock pot preheat some ghee over medium heat and then add your onion. Saute the onion until it has softened and started to become translucent. Saute the onion until it has softened and started to become translucent. Then add your minced garlic and saute until fragrant. This step should take about 3-5 minutes.
- Toss your harissa (or chile) paste in with the onions and stir it up. Let these flavors blend together for about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in your pumpkin puree and bone broth until it's all combined.
- Toss in your chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper then stir until combined.
- Let the chili simmer for about 5-10 minutes over low-medium heat. The flavors will marinade together and it'll start to smell like fall in your house!
- This is totally optional, and I sometimes omit this step entirely. Either use an immersion blender or transfer the chili to a stand blender and puree until smooth. Sometimes I'll just puree a little bit so there are still some chunks of onion.
- Add your cream and cheese, stir into the chili and let simmer while you make the chorizo and apples.
Topping
- Preheat a cast iron skillet and then some ghee over high heat. Toss in your apples maple syrup, and cinnamon. Toss the apples until caramelized. Remove the apples onto a plate but keep the sauce in the pan.
- Make the crispy chorizo component by adding your chorizo directly into the pan with the glaze from the apples. Cook until crispy and then set aside on a plate.
- Serve the soup with some glazed apples, crispy chorizo, and some cheese on top. Then enjoy the taste of fall in a bowl with this heart healthy chili! Serve with some homemade sourdough bread on the side.
Video
Notes
how to prepare leftover chili
To store this chili you'll want to keep the topping and the chili separate. Store each in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, simply scoop some chili into a saucepan and heat on medium-low on the stove. Crisp up the chorizo and apples in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Then serve just like you did on day 1. Another option is to toss the chili in the microwave with the toppings already on it - you'll lose some of the crispiness of the chorizo, but the flavors are just as good!tips to make this chili healthy
These tips can be used for any chili recipe to make it a little cleaner and nutrient-dense!- Use ghee instead of butter
- Use pure pumpkin puree - not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling has a ton of added sugar.
- Use bone broth instead of chicken stock or broth. Bone broth is filled with a ton more nutrients and great collagen!
- For the cream component - use either coconut cream or raw cream (if you're comfortable with that).
heart healthy vegetarian chili
To make this a vegetarian chili all you need to do is use the Trader Joe's soy chorizo - tastes exactly like the real thing!how to reduce sodium in chili
- Add the salt at the end
- Use low sodium bone broth or homemade bone broth
- Don't use pre-made spice blends - mix up your own spice blends
- Use lemon to flavor the chili - lemon brings out the flavors of food just like salt
- Use sea salt instead of table salt. Sea salt actually contains many nutritional benefits, whereas table salt is devoid of nutrients.
how do you fix over-seasoned chili
Did you accidentally use a little too much spice in your chili? Here's how to fix it!- Add more bone broth
- Increase dairy - add more cream, cheese, sour cream, milk, or coconut milk.
- Use an acid - like lemon juice, wine, apple cider vinegar
- Serve with something starchy
