Spicy Pork Chili with Pumpkin (91 cents/serving)

When you’re looking for a hearty meal, you can’t go wrong with a pork chili. Not only does it boast stick-to-yer-ribs goodness, but it’s also incredibly economical. This pork chili with pumpkin is a flavorful one-pot dinner you’ll want to add to your regular weekly repertoire.

Why Make This

It’s super simple to make. Don’t let the length of the ingredients list fool you. This is one of the simplest set-it-and-forget-it meals you can make.

It’s freezer-friendly. Feel free to make a double batch as this chili freezes and reheats beautifully, meaning you can have a simple dinner more than once this month.

It’s delicious. There’s just something magical that the pumpkin puree and chile bring to this bean stew. It’s so yummy. You must make it!

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make homemade pork chili with pumpkin:

pork half loin roast – The pork loin is a large cut of meat that is often portioned smaller into halves or even chops. For this recipe, I can typically cut a half roast in half again. It’s an affordable cut that I can easily stretch over several meals.

spices: salt, pepper, ground chile, and garlic powder – The spice list is pretty short, but also very important. Be sure to use ground chile also labeled chile powder, but NOT chili powder. Chili powder often has salt and other spices added to it. Since we’re already adding salt, you want to make sure you have ground chile. If you want to give it a true fall twist, add some Pumpkin Pie Spice.

oil – Use whatever cooking oil you normally use. It’s just to keep the pork and onion from burning when you sauté them.

onion – The onion gives great flavor and texture to the chili. You can use white or yellow onion.

pumpkin puree – The pumpkin adds a really rich flavor to this pork chili. You can use canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) or cook your own pumpkin. In a pinch, use Homemade Butternut Squash Puree.

tomato sauce and canned, diced tomatoes– The tomato sauce rounds out the sauce in this chili and the diced tomatoes add texture. If need be, you can swap in a can of crushed tomatoes for the two.

black and pinto beans – I like using two colors of beans in this chili to give it visual interest. You can also add kidney beans for a third color. Remember it’s often cheaper to cook dried beans instead of using the canned variety.

chopped green chiles – These add a little heat. You can substitute chopped jalapeños or Roasted Poblano Peppers if that’s what you have.

Variations

If you have leftover pulled pork from another night, you could substitute that for that 1 ½ pounds boneless pork called for in this recipe to make a pulled pork chili.

If it’s easier or more affordable to buy ground pork, you can absolutely swap that in for the pork cubes.

For a pork chili verde, swap out the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes for a jar of green salsa.

Step-by-Step Instructions

It’s super simple to make this slow cooker pork chili:

1. Season the pork cubes with salt and pepper to taste. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the pork cubes and chopped onion and sauté. Cook until the pork is lightly browned and the onion is clear.
2. In the crock of a 6-quart slow cooker, whisk together the pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, chili powder and garlic powder. Add the meat mixture, beans, tomatoes, and chiles to the pot. Stir well to combine. Cover with the slow cooker lid and cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 6 to 8 hours on LOW. You can use the slow cooker function on your instant pot if you prefer.