Sausage, Pumpkin, and Black Bean Chili

“Hey babe, what’s for dinner?”
“I thought I’d make us a nice salad.”

*awkward silence*

And so I made chili instead.

When I was a girl, my mom used nothing but ground beef in her chili. After I was on my own, I made the transition to ground turkey. But somewhere along the way, I don’t recall when, I started using breakfast sausage. Specifically, spicy breakfast sausage. If you want to get more specific, I could give you a brand name, but I’m not gonna.

I figure, I already like the taste of the sausage, so it must be doing more for my chili than plain ol’ unseasoned ground turkey, right? Right. And besides, is it just me, or does a pound of breakfast sausage cost, like, half the price of a pound of ground beef or turkey? And it goes on sale far more often, doesn’t it? So my palate and pocket book are pretty much in agreement.

You can use your favorite chili powder for this; I use one that I get from a local Mexican market. We like our chili spicy, but if you’re skittish, start with 1 tbsp of chipotle puree, and work your way up from there. Oh, and if it seems odd to you to add cinnamon to chili, don’t worry your pretty head about it. Just LSTTW (Let Stephy Take The Wheel), and do it. It blends perfectly with the earthiness of the pumpkin, and the end result is savory, spicy, and oh so good.

If you’re not a fan of meat, this could easily be a vegetarian recipe; simply use vegetarian crumbles, more veggies, mushrooms, different kinds of beans, and use vegetable stock instead of beef stock.

Sausage, Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili

Ingredients

1 lb spicy breakfast sausage
1 cup onions, medium dice
1/2 cup celery, medium dice
1/2 cup green bell pepper, medium dice
4-5 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp chipotle puree
4 oz can of chilies, diced
14.5oz can of diced tomatoes (I prefer petite diced)
15 oz can black beans, unseasoned
15 oz can pumpkin puree
4 cups beef stock
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Your favorite toppings (e.g. sliced green onions, cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, radishes, tortilla chips, etc.)

Directions

1. Brown the sausage over high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
2. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the onions, pepper, and celery. Saute the vegetables with the sausage until translucent, and tender-crisp, scraping the bottom of the pot if necessary to release any fond (the moisture from the vegetables should help with this). Add the garlic, and continue to saute for another minute, until fragrant.
3. Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon, and combine with the meat mixture. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally and allowing the spices to toast a bit.
4. Add the chipotle puree, tomatoes, chilies, black beans (the whole can; don’t drain or rinse the beans), pumpkin puree and beef stock.
5. Stir thoroughly to combine. Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
6. In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the cornmeal, and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. Add this to the chili.
7. Allow the chili to simmer over low heat, uncovered, for about 45 minutes to an hour.
8. Serve with your favorite toppings.