Pumpkin & Pork Chili

Need a creative chili recipe? Craving pumpkin? Why not mix the two together! This pumpkin and pork chili recipe is a great one that will warm you up this fall. Remember, pumpkin is filled with antioxidants and nutrients that provide amazing health benefits, like healthy skin, heart, and blood sugar. This recipe is also full of fiber and protein, for digestion and growth. This is part of our Meal Planning Program, along with over 500 more recipes that are RDN-approved!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 pound pork tenderloin, fat trimmed, cut into cubes
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups sugar pie pumpkin, cubed
  • 1 28-oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 12-oz cans tomatillos, drained
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/2 canned diced jalapeño chiles
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 lime, juiced

Directions

Prep:

  1. Trim and cut pork.
  2. Chop/mince onion, cilantro, and garlic.
  3. Cut the raw pumpkin in half, scrap out the seeds, peel and cube it.
  4. Drain beans and tomatillos.

Make:

  1. Heat oil in 5 quart pan over medium-high heat until hot.
  2. Add pork and cook, stirring frequently until browned, 2-3 minutes. Transfer pork to a plate.
  3. Add onion and garlic to pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, puree tomatillos and jalapeños in blender.
  5. Add 1 cup water, tomatillo mix, pumpkin cubes, beans, cumin, chili powder, and salt to a pan. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
  6. Stir in pork. Cook, covered, until pork is no longer pink in center, 10 minutes longer.
  7. Stir in cilantro and 2 tablespoons lime juice, serve.

Notes

If you want spice, add more chili powder! Sugar Pie pumpkins and Baby Bear pumpkins are the best to use but feel free to experiment with different varieties of winter squash available during fall and winter.

You will likely have leftover raw pumpkin cubes, don’t waste them! Use it to make homemade pumpkin puree, to add to any pumpkin recipe that you desire.

 

Meal Planning

Get your personalized meal plan to enhance your lifestyle. By collaborating and meal planning with your dietitian, you will achieve optimal results!

Did you know that people who meal plan are more likely to have an overall higher quality food variety? Anderson’s Nutrition has a robust meal planning program to assist you on your journey to simpler, better health. Meet virtually with your own dietitian to receive nutrition guidance and a personalized meal plan.

We provide comprehensive meal planning programs for each client to achieve their healthy living goals. With ample amounts of recipes and the expertise from the Dietitians at Anderson’s Nutrition, this program creates a unique and realistic approach to bringing dinner back to the table in an easy, time-saving way.

The reality is that many of us don’t have the time or energy to make meals happen. Meals become stressful, if not an impossible task.

Anderson’s Nutrition Meal Planner removes these barriers of time and complexity by making meals possible and simple! This meal planner evaluates over 3 million dietary factors to create the perfect plan for you while minimizing food waste.