Bison Pumpkin Chili

Pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pies, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin... It's that time of year! I like pumpkin as much as the next person during the fall, but I'm just a year-round squash person. I love summer squash, zucchini, butternut, acorn, and, of course, pumpkin. I love eating and cooking it, but I'm going to use the typical "It's Fall!" excuse to share with you my favorite chili recipe: Bison Pumpkin Chili.

Like I told everyone when I took this to a Chili Cook-Off our church had a few years back: Don't knock it before you try it! I won "Most Unusual" AND "Best Tasting" Chili that day. It's yummy!

And since I hate scrolling through tons of pictures and random commentary just to get to a dang recipe I found on a blog through Pinterest, let's get right to it. You don't want to see my crappy cookware and photography anyway (though I will add some random comments and variation suggestions after)...

Bison Pumpkin Chili

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground bison

1 medium onion, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups beef broth

2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz) pureed pumpkin

1 can (141/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 tbsp hot sauce (like Tobasco or Frank's)

2 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Grated cheddar cheese

Crackers or corn chips

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, brown bison meat. Throw in chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, and minced garlic and sauté until tender.
2. Transfer to slow cooker and stir in the remaining ingredients.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-6 hours.
4. Serve with cheese and crackers.

Voila! Simple and delicious. I originally adapted this from a "Black Bean and Pumpkin Chili" from a some magazine I found and have tweaked it over the years. That recipe originally called for cubed, cooked turkey and chicken broth, so I'm thinking that would taste good as well if you aren't one for tasty, lean meat like bison. Or buffalo. Whichever you prefer to call it. It doesn't mean different animals until you go outside of North America where there are actually buffaloes.

Anywho, I also make this recipe with chicken broth. Whichever I have on hand. It tastes great either way. I've also made it with ground beef when I can't find ground bison in this little town, but I much prefer the leaner bison meat. Also, I've used a can of diced tomatoes with herbs (basil, garlic, and oregano), and the chili tasted great. Normally I top regular chili with Fritos, tons of cheese, and a heaping spoonful of sweet relish (don't judge, it's delicious), but this chili is so yummy that it just needs a bit of cheese on top to taste amazing.

In the original recipe I started this from, the chili was incredibly bland, so one thing I had to add (and really liked) was the hot sauce. You can add more or less, or you can even add cayenne pepper instead. What I have listed here works well for our family; from my two-year-old to my spicy husband who thinks he need to give himself a nosebleed when he eats chili (he usually just adds more hot sauce to his own bowl).

If you are very particular about recipes, like my grandmother, you can stick to exactly what the recipe says and measure out every half teaspoon. That's fine. It's a yummy recipe, if you ask me. If you are like me and like variations, you can adjust it to your taste (and your family's taste) or just what you have in your pantry. So far, I haven't made a variety of this recipe that I didn't like.

Try it out! It's delicious!