Pumpkin Quinoa Chili

This healthy Pumpkin Quinoa Chili brings all the cozy fall vibes!

It's a DELICIOUS, satisfying meal, that's high in plant-based protein. The flavor is off the charts -- absolutely devour-worthy -- but the recipe is pretty simple and straightforward.

As always, it's made entirely of whole food plant-based ingredients, and it also happens to be oil-free and gluten-free.

Perfect for when you're having friends over to watch the big game, or to batch-prep dinners or take-to-work lunches.

Have you arrived here from YouTube? If so, welcome!

If you missed it, you can watch me make Pumpkin Quinoa Chili in my YouTube video.

Click below to watch (the video will open in a new window), and then return here afterward to reference the instructions.

Don't forget to like the video and subscribe to the channel, too!

This recipe yields a large soup pot full of chili, which is at least 8 servings. 

Click here to download a printable copy of this recipe.

Quick note: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means I'll earn a very small commission if you make a purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you. Your support makes my work possible and I appreciate you very much!

Ingredients

In this recipe we'll use a fresh "pie pumpkin" two ways. We'll chop half of it into bite-sized pieces, and the other half we'll roast and puree to thicken the chili at the end.

If you missed my last video and/or blog post, you can watch me make Homemade Pumpkin Puree step by step to see how it's done. Of course, you can also use canned pumpkin in place of homemade puree to save time, if you need to.

• 4 cups vegetable broth, divided
• 2 medium red onions, diced
• 8 to 10 cloves of garlic, sliced (or more, if desired)
• 4 bell peppers (preferably in a rainbow array of colors), diced
• 1 medium jalapeño, minced (optional)
• 4 cups diced fresh pumpkin (see below for prep instructions)
• 1 14-oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 3 cups diced fresh tomatoes (or a second can of fire roasted diced tomatoes)
• 1 14-oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed (red quinoa is recommended for its firmer texture)
• 2 portobello mushroom caps, diced large
• 1 tsp (Trader Joe's) fermented black garlic granules (optional)
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade, see previous blog post for instructions)

Instructions

Here's how to chop your fresh pumpkin into bite-sized pieces.

Pierce your pumpkin with a vertical slice of the knife, near the stem.

Continue the slice all the way around the pumpkin until you hit the stem again on the other side.

Once you've got a continue slice down one side and up the other, slide your thumbs into the crack and pop the pumpkin open.

Use a soup spoon to scrape out the seeds, which you can either discard, or roast to enjoy as a snack.

At this point, if you'll be simultaneously making your own pumpkin puree for later in the recipe, now is the time to roast one (un-chopped) half of the pumpkin, face down, on a parchment lined baking sheet at 400 degrees F, for up to an hour. Refer to my Homemade Pumpkin Puree recipe for more detailed instructions.

Then slice one half of the pumpkin into crescents.

This makes it easier to skin the pumpkin. Turn each crescent on its side, and then use short, downward strokes of the knife, just under the skin, to trim it away.

It'll look like this once you're done. That's a little pile of pumpkin skin trimmings at the top right of the cutting board.

Then chop each skinned crescent into bite-sized pieces.

 Dice the red onion.

Slice the garlic. If you're as garlic obsessed as I am, you may want to significantly "up" the quantity of garlic. Personally, I usually end up with about a quarter cup of sliced garlic for this recipe.

Dice the bell peppers. I love to use one of each color, because when I include a rainbow array of peppers, not only does it look beautiful, but it also broadens the nutrient profile of the meal.

Adding a jalapeño to the dish is entirely optional, and you can adjust the "spiciness" level by controlling the amount of jalapeño seeds you include.

Mince the jalapeño.

If you're using fresh tomatoes, dice them now. Otherwise, you'll need two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes.

And dice two portobello mushroom caps.

Now we're ready to cook, and the chili comes together simply and easily!

In a large soup pot, heat about ¼ cup of vegetable broth over medium-high heat until it's simmering.

Add the onion and a sprinkling of salt.

Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it has softened.

Add the sliced garlic and stir until fragrant, about one minute.

If you look closely at the photo above, you'll see that the vegetable broth has mostly evaporated. Continue adding more broth, a splash at a time as you cook, to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Next add the diced bell peppers and the minced jalapeño. You'll probably need another splash of broth at this point, as well.

Then add the diced pumpkin.

Stir it all together and allow these vegetables to sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more broth a splash at a time, as needed to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Add the fresh tomatoes, if using, and one can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. OR, if you're not using fresh tomatoes, then add two cans of fire roasted diced tomatoes at this point.

Stir well, then add two more cups of vegetable broth.

Add the red kidney beans and black beans.

Stir well.

Bring the chili to a boil, then reduce the heat a bit (probably around medium or medium-high) to keep the pot just simmering.

Next we'll add the spices: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.

Stir the spices in.

Add the quinoa to the pot.

And the diced portobello mushrooms.

And if you have some, add a teaspoon of Trader Joe's fermented black garlic granules.

My apologies to those who don't live close to a Trader Joe's. I haven't been to find this form of garlic anywhere else online. But don't worry, it's not necessary, it's just an enhancement, so if you've got it, add some. If not, you can absolutely skip it and this chili will still be amazing.

Place the lid on the pot, and then let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.

At this point, the quinoa *should* be fully cooked. Taste the chili carefully, to make sure. If the quinoa still seems a little firm, continue simmering for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Once the quinoa is fully cooked, add the pumpkin puree. If you've roasted the second half of the pumpkin, you'll need to remove the skin and puree it in a food processor first. See my Homemade Pumpkin Puree recipe for details.

Stir the puree in, until it is evenly incorporated.

Taste the chili one more time, and adjust the seasoning to your liking. You may want to enhance the smoky flavor, in which case you can add more smoked paprika, or you may want the chili flavor to be stronger, so you can add more chili powder. Most commonly, though, you may just prefer it with a little more salt.

Now it's ready to serve!

Ladle your Pumpkin Quinoa Chili into bowls.

Serve and enjoy!

Equipment Notes

🌸 Epicurean cutting board: https://amzn.to/4nxKDMR
🌸 Ceramic non-stick soup pot: https://amzn.to/4hwgBb4
🌸 Silicone and stainless steel cooking tools: https://amzn.to/3JyN2sK

If you see something in my kitchen not listed above and want to know where to get it, please email or message me and I'll find you a link if I can!

You can also check out my Amazon Storefront for a pretty complete list of my kitchen equipment recommendations.