The Canned Fall Ingredient You Should Be Adding To Turkey Chili

When autumn rolls around, few foods are as satisfying as a bowl of chili. This savory dish is perfect for crisp evening meals or even as a sustaining workday lunch, and part of its beauty (beyond tastiness) is its adaptability. You can use just about any ingredients you have on hand, follow a recipe or come up with your own flavor profile. And though there are a number of secret ingredients you should be using in your chili, during the fall season, there's one you may be sleeping on for your favorite turkey variation — and you may already have a can in your cupboard.

While pumpkin purée is practically ubiquitous for baked goods, beverages from beer to coffee drinks, and even ice creams during the season, you may have discovered the potential of this orange vegetable to perform in savory recipes, too. Incorporating pumpkin into pasta and pizza, or simply roasting it with brown butter and sage results in well-balanced, complex and delicious dishes. So pop this familiar can for your next turkey chili night and prepare to be wowed by what it brings to the bowl.

Ground turkey can be a bit on the bland sideand quick to dry out. Pumpkin purée is also mild in flavor, but contributes a creamy quality and a subtle contrasting sweetness to your savory meat — and helps keep it moist, too. And because of that fairly neutral and very agreeable quality, pumpkin invites you to get super creative with complementary ingredients.

Whether you're applying this to easy slow cooker spicy turkey chili or starting from scratch with another framework, it's super easy to put this pumpkin tip into practice. Simply use about 1 (15-ounce) can (or a little over 2 cups) of purée for about 1 pound of ground turkey, stirring it in once your meat has been cooked and drained, along with tomatoes and stock or beer (if you're using them).

Pumpkin pairs with all kinds of delicious flavors that can make your chili pop, from warming spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg (a combination with which you're probably familiar), to ones that may crop up less frequently in your pumpkin recipes, like cumin. You can also opt for a little kick, as pumpkin works with spicy cayenne or smoky ancho and paprika, too. Mushrooms are a great match, as are herbs like rosemary and cheeses like a pungent gorgonzola or a creamy chèvre — all of which make excellent adds to a pot of chili, or a perfect garnish over the top. It's also easy to omit the meat for a vegan option, too, or fall-ify your basic three-bean vegetarian chili recipe.

Pair this chili with a creamy Chardonnayor a pumpkin ale (which you can use in your recipe, too). If you want to get really creative, you can even serve your pumpkin chili in a hallowed out pumpkin for dramatic effect — but no matter what, you'll be delighted by this addition.