Turkey Pumpkin Chili is the perfect Fall dish made with ground turkey, tomatoes, canned pumpkin, white beans and spinach.
Nothing says Fall like a big pot of chili. Especially when you add pumpkin to it! We enjoy chili quite often this time of year, a few favorites are Crock Pot Taco Chili, this No-Bean Turkey Chili and this Turkey Pumpkin White Bean Chili, which is similar to this recipe, only without the tomatoes and spinach.
This version, is from Joy Bauer’s new cookbook Joy’s Simple Food Remedies; Tasty Cures For Whatever’s Ailing You.
I love reading books that teach you how to use food as medicine. Her book tackles 20 of the most common everyday ailments and provides 60 recipes, to tackle them such as how to increase energy, ease aches and pains, boost brain power, reduce anxiety and stress, and more. If you’re a geek like me and love reading about the benefits of foods for your diet, this is a great book!
This chili recipe is from her lower high blood pressure chapter. Within that chapter she creates recipe using those ingredients. Joy says, while high blood pressure can’t be cured, it can be managed with exercise and eating well, including these five tasty foods.
5 Foods To Lower High Blood Pressure
- Cocoa Powder contains flavanols, plant based nutrients that reduce blood pressure
- Pumpkin is loaded with potassium, which helps the body become more efficient at getting rid of excess sodium
- Spinach is loaded with three blood-pressure lowering ingredients; potassium, folate and magnesium
- Garlic contains allicin and gluteamylcysteine which offers blood pressure lowering benefits
- White Beans which has fiber, protein, and iron, nutrients that work to keep your heart healthy because they control weight, lower your cholesterol, provide magnesium, potassium and calcium.
This recipe is tasty and makes plenty so there’s enough for leftovers to pack for lunch. You can also freeze it, or make half if you’re cooking for two.
Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Turkey Pumpkin Chili is the perfect Fall dish made with ground turkey, tomatoes, canned pumpkin, white beans and spinach.
Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 medium bell pepper (red, yellow, or orange), diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced (or 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1⅓ pounds ground turkey or chicken (90 to 93 percent lean)
- One 15-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
- One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
- ¼ cup tomato paste, no salt added
- One 14-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon (or 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice)
- 2½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 4 cups baby spinach leaves
- Avocado (optional)
- Sour cream or Nonfat plain Greek yogurt (optional)
- Cilantro (optional)
Directions:
- Liberally coat a large pot or Dutch oven with oil spray and warm over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, or until the onion softens.
- Add the garlic, stir everything together, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the ground turkey or chicken. Use a spatula or large spoon to break up the meat as it cooks. Continue to cook about 6 to 7 minutes, until fully cooked.
- Add the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, pumpkin puree, broth, chili powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice), cumin, black pepper, and optional cayenne pepper, and stir.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Right before serving, add the spinach and mix throughout.
- Enjoy the chili with desired toppings, such as avocado, nonfat plain Greek yogurt, cilantro, and salsa.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 6 servings, Serving Size: 6
- Amount Per Serving:
- Freestyle Points: 4
- Points +:
- Calories: 300 calories
- Total Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Cholesterol: 55mg
- Sodium: 570mg
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 8g
- Sugar: 10g
- Protein: 27g
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