Paleo Pumpkin Chili

The past week I have been scouring cookbooks and websites for Chili recipes. We take chili VERY seriously in my house. My Mumsie makes the best chili ever. The prospect of making a chili without beans or corn was a bit daunting. 

I decided to glean from a myriad of recipes, adding things I liked and subtracting ingredients that either sounded intolerable or were not "paleo friendly." In the end I was very satisfied with the outcome. 

This is a very tomato-ey (yes, I completely made up this word). I, however, LOVE tomatoes, so this was a win. Plus, this recipe was easily made in the crockpot--double win!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef (you could easily sub in bison/turkey/chicken/soy crumbles)
1 large onion (diced)
2 tbsp. coconut oil
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes (use only 1 if you prefer less tomato-ey taste)
1 (4 oz) can tomato juice
1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
2 tsp. sugar/honey/agave (optional, but it helps cut the acidity)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (if you do not like spicy, omit this)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (again, if you do not like spicy, omit this)
1 zucchini (diced finely)
1 sweet potato (peeled, and diced)
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin


1) Saute minced garlic in 1 tbsp. coconut oil and add ground beef. Cook over medium heat, until browned; saute onions, if desired (you can simply add raw onion to crockpot)

2) Add wet ingredients to crockpot

3) Stir in spices

4) Cook for 3 hours on low and then add sweet potato, zucchini, and pumpkin.

(I liked the sweet potato and zucchini to be a bit firm in my chili, if you want them soft, add them at the beginning). The pumpkin can be added at any time.

5) Cook for 2 more hours on low

6) ENJOY!

Chase is a chili connoisseur and he loved this, so that is definitely a promising endorsement. 

Do you like chili? Are you a fan of chili con carne, Chili with beans, or Cincinnati chili (sweet chili over spaghetti)?