Chorizo & Pumpkin Chili Recipe

I was a little unprepared for the cold today. A cold front came through yesterday, and I was very excited that the Houston heat would finally be pushed out until the Spring. But coming from New Orleans and now living in Houston, I forget every year what cold temperatures really feel like. And humid cities have those "wet cold" winters. Brrr.

I figured a simple light athletic jacket would suffice for boot camp this morning, but I was so wrong. Forty-five minutes of jumping and sprinting didn't do much for me. I think I need to bundle a little better. That's a skill I have to relearn each year!

I'm now kicking myself that I didn't double last night's chili recipe because it's so perfect for this weather.

This recipe was very simple and I love how the different flavors combine into Autumn yumminess.

Start with one pound of chorizo sausage. The original recipe I found on Craving4More calls for regular pork chorizo, but I couldn't find any at Kroger that wasn't loaded with corn syrup and soy. Their beef chorizo, however, had a minimal amount of added sugar, so I went with that instead. I'm not sure how it really affected the taste, but I was pretty happy with the outcome.

In a dutch oven or stock pot, cook one pound of chorizo sausage. While it's cooking, begin to chop veggies. You'll need to chop a red bell pepper and half of a yellow onion. Once the meat is cooked, remove it from the dutch oven and place in a separate bowl. Leave the fat in the pot. 

Next, gather the remaining ingredients: 1/2 can pumpkin puree, 28 ounce can San Marazano crushed tomatoes, 2 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. 

Saute veggies in the dutch oven until onions are translucent. Then, add the remaining ingredients (including the chorizo you set aside) and mix them well. 

Allow to simmer for 30-60 minutes. 

This dish smells delicious while it's cooking, and it tastes incredible once it's done! Ryan and I had heaping bowls and salad on the side. 

Here's a more compact recipe!

Servings: 3 "cereal bowl" sized servings             Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound beef chorizo sausage

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1/2 can pumpkin puree

1 28 oz can San Marazano crushed tomatoes

2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat dutch oven (or stock pot) over medium heat. 

2. Cook chorizo sausage in pot until cooked through. 

3. While meat is cooking, chop veggies and gather remaining ingredients. 

4. Remove meat (but not the fat) from the pot. 

5. Add bell peppers and onions to pot and saute until onions are translucent. 

6. Add spices, tomatoes, and pumpkin. Stir well.

7. Add meat back to the pot and stir.

8. Allow to simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes to an hour.

9. Serve and enjoy!

Question: What ingredients go into your favorite chili? My parents make a "Tex Mex" chili with beans, beef, barbecue sauce, and a few other ingredients. It sounds like an odd combo, but it makes for great chili!

Good night!