This pumpkin and Farro pepper is filling, healthy, and loaded with seasonal vegetables, tender farro, protein-packed beans, and cozy spices, all simmering in a delicious broth for the perfect fall meal!
Is there anything better than a pot of hot, hearty chili to satisfy your hunger on a lazy fall weekend? No, I didn’t think so. It really is my favorite thing during the colder months, especially THIS slow cooker pumpkin and farro chili recipe! Guys, the flavors of this chili are amazing and my kitchen smelled absolutely amazing all day while cooking. The best part is how eaaaaasy this is doing. I mean, basically, you just throw all your ingredients into a clay pot, light it and you’re done.
I also love how incredibly filling this dish is, even without adding meat. The pumpkin melts in the mouth, the farro is deliciously chewy, and the flavors just tie everything together. Oh, and did I mention that you literally threw everything into your clay pot and that’s it? Perfect for those busy weekdays or to serve a crowd on weekends!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This chili is vegan, dairy-free and made entirely with healthy, unprocessed foods.
- Made directly in the slow cooker, saving time in the kitchen with little to no cleaning
- Don’t skip the cinnamon! The taste is amazing in this chili.
- There’s nothing better than a cozy bowl of chili on a cool autumn day.
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Ingredients you’ll need
- Pumpkin butternut – The real star of this dish and you will need 2 pounds of diced pumpkin. You can also use pumpkin or even acorn pumpkin
- medium white or yellow onion pepper, add a touch of
- sweetness and more flavor. I used a red pepper, but any color will work
- chopped fresh garlic or chopped garlic from the jar
- Tomatoes – you will need two cans of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato paste, which thickens the sauce. You can also use flame-roasted tomatoes for even more flavor!
- Canned beans – I used a combination of black beans and cannellini beans to add protein to this chili, just be sure to drain and rinse them first. You
- – I used a low-sodium vegetable broth, but you can also use chicken broth or any broth you have in your pantry. The water would work too, but it would lose some of the
- Farro flavor – it adds more protein and fiber to this chili while absorbing all this delicious flavor. You can also swap farro for lentils, rice, or quinoa if you don’t have gluten
- Spices – combination of chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper
- Optional side dish: Feel free to top this chili with fresh parsley, cilantro or green onions and even some sliced avocados, sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and some cheddar cheese would taste delicious
onion, this adds a lot of flavor and you can use a
Garlic – you can use
can also use red beans or any other beans you prefer Vegetable broth
. What is Farro?
If you’ve never tried farro before, run, don’t walk, to your local supermarket and buy this NOW. I promise you’ll thank me later. Farro is super rich in protein, fiber, and iron, so I prefer this grain over quinoa sometimes because of its great nutritional value. The texture is similar to brown rice, only much more “meaty”, making it the perfect ingredient for this chili and I love that it absorbs all the flavors while cooking. Farro also maintains its delicious chewy texture long after cooking, meaning it will never become soft! Yes, perfect for soups, stews and, you guessed it, CHILI, but farro also tastes great on its own mixed in a salad or even as a side dish.
There are several different types of farro (whole grain, pearl and semi-pearl), but for this particular recipe I used pearl farro. Pearl means that the peel has been removed, which makes the cooking time super fast (only 20 minutes!), but it also tastes amazing simmered. I mean you can clearly see why this has become a staple in our home: it’s versatile with tons of nutritional benefits and turns out to be super convenient!
How to
cut the pumpkin
To make things easier when preparing this recipe, you can buy pre-cut pumpkin directly from the store. However, not all stores have pre-chopped pumpkin, so here’s my simple method for peeling and cutting your own pumpkin.
- Start by cutting the bottom of the pumpkin. This helps stabilize the pumpkin so you can start peeling it. Make sure you have a good vegetable peeler and work down from the stem. The skin of the pumpkin is thin and soft, so this is really easy to do!
- Next, cut the stem and cut the pumpkin in half with a sharp chef’s knife. If your pumpkin is very thick and difficult to cut, you can put it in the microwave or oven to heat it for a few minutes to make it easier to cut. Then simply remove all the seeds and fibrous parts with a spoon.
- Place your cut halves sideways down on a cutting board and cut the pumpkin into 1-inch cubes. You’ll want them to be as close to size as possible so that the pumpkin cooks evenly. And that’s it!
How to Make Pumpkin Chili
The best part about making this pumpkin chili is how simple it is to put together!
- Chop the pumpkin. Peel and cut the pumpkin into 1-inch cubes, trying to keep them all the same in size so that the pumpkin cooks evenly.
- Pour into a clay pot. In a 6-quart slow cooker, add the pumpkin, along with the rest of the ingredients, and stir everything well. Cover and place high for 3 to 4 hours or low 6 to 8 hours.
- Serve and enjoy! Pour the chili into bowls, add the desired ingredients and enjoy. I highly recommend serving with my honey cornbread muffins!
Variations
- Gluten-free option – To make this gluten-free, you can easily swap farro for lentils, rice, or quinoa
- Add meat: This is a vegan chili, but feel free to add some meat for a delicious beef or turkey chili. Just be sure to brown the ground turkey, or any meat you choose to use, before adding it to the clay pot.
- Change the farro, as I said before, this can be easily customized to your liking! If you don’t like farro or don’t have any on hand, lentils, rice, quinoa all my great options. Or, as I said earlier, you could even add a little meat to get even more protein.
- Make it spicy: If you want to make this chili pepper hotter, feel free to add 1 or 2 chopped jalapeños or some red pepper flakes.
Preparation and
storage
for storage: This pumpkin chili makes great leftovers! Farro has this magical ability to absorb so much flavor without getting soaked, making it ideal for meal preparation. This chili will last in your refrigerator in an airtight, sealed container for 5 to 7 days. You can easily reheat it in the microwave or on the stove for a quick and delicious meal.
To freeze
: If you plan to freeze this chili, let it cool completely and then store it in a sealed, airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy, let the chili defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat it on the stove or microwave. Feel free to add a tablespoon or two of water or broth to add some moisture to the sauce, if needed.
More pumpkin
recipes to try creamy
- macaroni pumpkin and cheese
- Brussels sprouts
- Maple
- zucchini noodles
- Glazed pumpkin with sage and toasted nuts
Maple glazed pumpkin and
chicken with pumpkin pumpkin and sage with
Slow cooker pot recipes White chicken and quinoa chili Classic quinoa soup White chicken quinoa soup and slow cooker chili soup Slow cooker chicken fajita
- Quinoa soup
- Classic stew meat and tomato
- Chicken omelette soup
- pot of
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spicy sausage soup I hope everyone enjoys this pumpkin chili and if you like this recipe as much as we do, leave me a five star rating below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
