Turkey Pumpkin Ale Chili

Every where you look right now it’s pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin! Pumpkin this and pumpkin that. Pumpkin cupcakes are dominating my Pinterest feed, and pumpkin spice lattes are back (in fact, I may be sipping one as I write this).

I’ll admit, I hopped on the “pumpkin everything” bandwagon as soon as the temperatures dropped below 70*. Baking with pumpkin is fun, but it’s the savory side of this fall staple that I love the most.

In fact, I’d take a crisp, refreshing, spicy pumpkin ale over a cupcake any day! Shaun surprised me recently when he came home with a six pack of Harpoon Brewery’s UFO Pumpkin. He sure knows the way to my heart! It was the first pumpkin ale of the fall season for us, and I enjoyed every.last.drop.

After sipping the UFO Pumpkin I knew right away that it would be perfect in chili! Shaun and I love making chili when it’s, well… chilly outside. (Did you catch my feeble attempt at humor there?) We like experimenting with flavors and making new versions of this classic dish. Adding pumpkin just seemed like the natural thing to do!

This Turkey Pumpkin Ale Chili makes for the perfect fall family dinner. It’s savory, earthy, and delicious, with just a hint of heat- so it’s kid friendly too! In addition to the pumpkin ale, I also added real pumpkin puree to pack a big punch of fall flavor.

The best part? Since beer is sold in a six pack, and you only need two for the chili, that means you will have FOUR left over. Not a bad problem to have, and I highly recommend taking care of the situation by enjoying one while you cook, and another while you eat the chili 😉

What’s your favorite savory pumpkin recipe? Have you ever tried cooking with ale? I’d love to hear about your best pumpkin dishes, so tell me about them in the comments below!

Turkey Pumpkin Ale Chili

Ingredients

• 16oz ground turkey
• 1 1/2 lbs turkey sausage
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3-4 carrots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups celery, diced
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 2 Tbs chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 bottles of your favorite 12oz Pumpkin Ale (we LOVE Harpoon Brewery’s UFO Pumpkin)
• 3 Tbs tomato paste
• 12oz chopped tomatoes
• 15oz canned pumpkin
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a large saute pan over medium heat, cook the ground turkey and the turkey sausage until evenly browned. Chop and stir while the meat cooks to mix the two ingredients together. Once cooked, set aside.
2. Next, in a large stock pot over medium heat, saute the onions and garlic in the butter only until fragrant. Then add the carrots and celery. Continue to cook until the vegetables are tender.
3. To the vegetable mixture, add all of your spices. You can adjust the quantities to suit your preferences, but the quantities I’ve listed above are a good starting point. Continue to stir the the mixture over medium heat for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Then, add the cooked turkey to the vegetables in the large stock pot. Pour in the 2 pumpkin ale beers and let the pot simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Next, stir in the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, and canned pumpkin.
6. Let the chili simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Stir occasionally.
7. Season with salt and pepper, and add additional chili powder, cayenne, or other spices as needed.
8. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream and top with shredded cheese.

Notes

Use organic ingredients whenever possible, and I recommend finding chopped tomatoes in a carton, not a tin can.