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Recipe: Smoky Pumpkin Tequila Chili with Ground Turkey - Fall Comfort Food

Fall Recipe: Smoky Pumpkin Tequila Chili with Ground Turkey and Butternut Squash

Eric J. Taubert
As the fall months arrive, it’s so fulfilling to embrace slow-cooked, comfort food that brings warmth to the crisp air – exactly like this fall recipe for Smoky Pumpkin Tequila Chili with Ground Turkey and Butternut Squash recipe, a a fiendishly-spicy, one-pot wonder that turns everything you might expect from a pumpkin recipe completely on its head.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 37 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 52 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Yellow Onions Medium
  • 1 Poblano Pepper
  • 5 Jalapeno Peppers
  • 4 Serrano Peppers
  • 2 Red Fresno Chili Peppers
  • 7 OZ Can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
  • 1 Butternut Squash Small
  • 15 OZ Can of Organic Pumpkin Puree
  • 28 OZ Can of Cento San Marzano Organic Certified Peeled Tomatoes
  • 28 OZ Can of Muir Glen Organic Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 2.5 TBSP Chili Powder
  • 1.5 TBSP Ground Coriander
  • 2 TBSP Ground Savory
  • 1.5 tsp Table Salt
  • .5 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • .25 tsp Fresh Ground Nutmeg
  • .25 tsp Ground Cloves
  • 1/8 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 CUP Chicken Stock (salted)
  • .5 CUP Reposado Tequila
  • .5 CUP Orange Juice
  • 1 Lime
  • 1 TBSP Olive Oil
  • 1 LB Ground Turkey
  • 2 TBSP Olive Oil (additional)
  • 1 TBSP Tomato Paste
  • 1 TBSP Maple Syrup
  • 1/8 tsp Stubb's Liquid Smoke (Mesquite or Hickory)
  • 8 TBSP Greek Yogurt for Garnish (1 TBSP per Serving)
  • 8 TBSP Roasted Pepitas for Garnish (1 TBSP per Serving)
  • 16 TBSP Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for Garnish (2 TBSP per Serving)
  • 8 TBSP Fresh Cilantro for Garnish

Instructions
 

BEFORE COOKING: Prepare Your Mise en Place

  • Chop two small to medium yellow onions, enough to generously fully fill one cereal bowl.
    2 Yellow Onions
  • Roughly chop one poblano pepper (seeds and ribs removed). Chop 5 jalapeno peppers (seeds and ribs removed). Finely chop 4 serrano peppers (seeds and ribs removed). Finely dice one (or two) red Fresno chili peppers (seeds and ribs removed).  Put all of the chopped and diced peppers in a second cereal bowl. NOTE: Wear some latex-style gloves while you’re chopping the peppers.
    1 Poblano Pepper; 5 Jalapeno Peppers; 4 Serrano Peppers; 2 Red Fresno Chili Peppers
  • With gloves still on, open a 7 oz can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce. Pour them into a small bowl. Empty all of the Adobo Sauce into a small ramekin. Then — and this is a little fussy, but bear with me — one at a time, remove and discard the stem and scraped seeds from each individual pepper. Dice what remains into a rough red paste and add it to the Adobo Sauce in the ramekin. Then you can take off the gloves.
    7 OZ Can of Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
  • Peel a small butternut squash and slice it in half. Scoop out the seeds, then chop it into half-inch cubes. Set them aside in a third cereal bowl.
    1 Butternut Squash
  • Empty one can of pumpkin puree into a fourth cereal bowl.
    15 OZ Can of Organic Pumpkin Puree
  • Hand crush (until there are no large clumps) one 28 oz can of Cento San Marzano Organic Certified Peeled Tomatoes plus one 28 oz can of Muir Glen Organic Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes and place into a medium mixing bowl along with all liquid/sauce from the cans.
    28 OZ Can of Cento San Marzano Organic Certified Peeled Tomatoes; 28 OZ Can of Muir Glen Organic Whole Fire Roasted Tomatoes
  • Mince 3 cloves of garlic and set aside in a small ramekin.
    3 cloves Garlic
  • In a small ramekin, mix together approximately 2.5 TBSP of good chili powder with 1.5 TBSP of ground coriander.
    2.5 TBSP Chili Powder; 1.5 TBSP Ground Coriander
  • In another small ramekin, mix together 2 TBSP of ground savory, 1.5 tsp of table salt, .5 tsp of ground cinnamon, .25 tsp of fresh ground nutmeg, and .25 teaspoon of ground cloves, and 1/8 tsp fresh ground black pepper.
    2 TBSP Ground Savory; 1.5 tsp Table Salt; .5 tsp Ground Cinnamon; .25 tsp Fresh Ground Nutmeg; .25 tsp Ground Cloves; 1/8 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • In a small drinking glass pour one cup of chicken stock.
    1 CUP Chicken Stock (salted)
  • In a small drinking glass pour .5 cup of reposado tequila.
    .5 CUP Reposado Tequila
  • In a small drinking glass pour .5 cup of orange juice.
    .5 CUP Orange Juice
  • In a small drinking glass squeeze the juice of one lime and add the zest.
    1 Lime

Cooking the Chili

  • In a medium to large enameled cast iron Dutch oven, heat 1 TBSP of olive oil and brown the 1 LB of ground turkey. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the cooked turkey out to a medium bowl and set aside.
    1 TBSP Olive Oil; 1 LB Ground Turkey
  • In the same Dutch oven, heat an additional 2 TBSP of olive oil. Add the onion, chopped peppers, and chili powder / coriander. Stir to combine, then cover and sweat for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, remove cover, add the diced garlic and chipotle peppers with Adobo sauce, then stir and cover to sweat for 3 more minutes until softened.
    2 TBSP Olive Oil (additional)
  • Remove the cover of the dutch oven. Stir in the tequila, lime juice + zest, and orange juice. Stir and lightly scrape (if necessary) with a wooden turner/spatula to deglaze the bottom of the dutch oven.
  • Add in 1 TBSP of tomato paste (I use the stuff in the squeezable tube, for convenience), plus the hand-crushed tomatoes and liquid. Add in the chopped butternut squash  Add the savory/salt/cinnamon/nutmeg/cloves. Add the chicken stock + 1 TBSP of maple syrup. Add 1/8 tsp of Stubb's Liquid Smoke. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer (uncovered) for 15 minutes until the chopped squash is tender. NOTE: Throughout this process, the mixture should be somewhat thick, but still loose enough for the simmer bubbles to freely dance and boil through to the top of the chili mixture. If it is too thick for the bubbles to freely move through, add more chicken stock (or water).
    1 TBSP Tomato Paste; 1 TBSP Maple Syrup; 1/8 tsp Stubb's Liquid Smoke
  • Stir in the cooked ground turkey and the pumpkin puree, then hold the Dutch oven (uncovered) at the lowest possible simmer for an additional ten minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, as necessary. Depending on your personal preferences, cook to desired thickness or thin out with additional water/stock.
  • Serve with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt plus some shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Garnish with roasted pepitas and fresh chopped cilantro. Provide a side of tortilla chips (the Late July Sea Salt and Lime Tortilla Chips are an excellent option for this chili) for texture.
    8 TBSP Greek Yogurt for Garnish (1 TBSP per serving); 8 TBSP Roasted Pepitas for Garnish (1 TBSP per serving); 16 TBSP Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese for Garnish (2 TBSP per serving); 8 TBSP Fresh Cilantro for Garnish (1 TBSP per serving)

Video

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 477kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 29gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 1230mgPotassium: 1347mgFiber: 11gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 19950IUVitamin C: 77mgCalcium: 404mgIron: 6mg

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Keyword autumn, butternut squash, comfort food, fall, ground turkey, Pumpkin, smoky, spicy
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