I finished watching Friday Night Lights and I swear there’s this emptiness inside me that it’s all over. The last episode was amazing and the writers did such a good job on giving closure to the show. How about giving my heart some closure?! What am I going to do with my evenings now?! Haha, I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a better TV show in my life..so much so that I ordered the entire DVD set. Bonus features, anyone?!
So since we’re done with Friday Night Lights, I decided to finally sign up Netflix so we can watch all these TV shows that everyone constantly raves about. I just started Scandal (note: just me. Jason refuses to watch it) and I’m not super into it, but I’m sure as the season progresses, I’ll be hooked. It’s neat it’s based in DC, too, so there are always these snapshots of DC that make me go, “hey! I know where that is!” haha
We tried to start Breaking Bad last night but there’s something wrong with our Netflix and cable provider. I swear they’re throttling our bandwidth or something. Every 10 seconds, the episode will buffer and it’ll stop in the middle of a scene. It happened for the first 10 minutes of the show and we were so frustrated, we turned it off. We couldn’t even get through the first episode! Argh. I hope it was just a fluke or peak hours or something. If not, then we’ll likely have to get rid of Netflix cause I don’t want to watch it on a computer when we can watch it on our big tv.
Any other shows on Netflix you recommend? I heard House of Cards is another great one – any others?
If you haven’t already, now is the time to dust off those crockpots and put them to good use! One of my favorite things about Fall/Winter is how much I use my slow cooker. I don’t know why I don’t use it as often in the summer months since there are plenty of amazing dishes you can make in the crockpot that aren’t soups/chilis, but cooler months always remind me more of my slow cooker!
I’ve had this crockpot turkey pumpkin chili bookmarked for a while. The original recipe from Whole Foods doesn’t require a crockpot but I modified it so you can put it all in the crockpot and let all the ingredients have a party together! This is perfect to whip up for when you have guests coming over to watch football on Sunday or just to have a bunch of leftovers so you don’t have to slave over the stove the entire week :) we brought it for lunch on several occasions and I totally wanted to fall asleep at my desk after having a bowl. It makes you all nice and warm on the inside. Sleep coma-inducing chili is what this really should be called. ;)
Crockpot Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1: 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, with the liquid
- 1: 15 ounce can pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1: 15 ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, cook the ground turkey halfway through, just enough so you can break it into smaller pieces.
- Then add the turkey and all the other ingredients into the insert of your crockpot. Stir or whisk everything together until the pumpkin puree has been dissolved or broken up.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
- Serve warm and top with whatever toppings you like (cheese, sour cream, green onions, etc.)
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Adapted from Whole Foods
You should watch Alias with me ;) And keep going with Scandal. I’ll be seriously shocked if you don’t end up liking it. BTW I NEED this chili. Josh would LOVE it.
Gorgeous chili recipe, Julie! Love the pumpkin and turkey combo. Yes…so sad to finish FNL. We need more Kyle Chandler! ;) Thanks for sharing. Will be pinning…pinned your Pumpkin Blondies all around group boards. They are a must-make-asap recipe like this chili!
LOVE using the crockpot right now! Great chili!
Yum! Nice and light and tasty!
I loved the ending to FNL!! So good, but I still want more! It was such a good show! It would be perfect with a bowl of this chili! Looks so good and comforting!
I’m pretty sure it’s not on Netflix but Homeland is the BEST! Love this chili Julie! So colorful and with lots of veggies!
Love that you added pumpkin!!! It’s freezing here today – this sounds and looks so good!!
Thanks, Liz! It’s definitely perfect for the colder weather and plus October is all about pumpkin! :) hehe
Love a good crockpot meal, Julie!
This looks fab Julie! And Connor and I just started watching Breaking Bad a few weeks ago–we’re three episodes in and loving it so far. Different, but kinda hilarious. I NEED a slow cooker!
I am inspired to dust off my crockpot! It’s happening!
I am not into traditional chili with ground beef. This however sounds awesome. And who doesn’t love the crockpot? Nice!
This looks so great, and the fact that you made it in the crockpot makes it perfect!!
Great chili for fall!
I’m all for anything using a crockpot but I especially love the pumpkin and turkey aspect of this. It’s starting to get chilly here so this is a perfect meal for an upcoming night.
Yummmm! Perfect for fall, too!
You could always connect your laptop to your tv via HDMI and still watch on the tv, powered by the laptop :) I’ve been watching Drop Dead Diva lately. Cute show and doesn’t make you think too much!!
That’s true, Jess! I always fear that I’ll burn out my laptop though by doing that – might be worth a shot! Thanks for the tips! :)
Our netflix was doing that a few nights ago! Thankfully it isn’t doing it anymore! Love the Chili! I love using my crockpot so we’ll have to try this out!
Maybe it was a Netflix thing! It didn’t do it last night when I watched Scandal..thanks!
I have a very similar recipe, but it includes 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp chili concarne powder (in place of the jalapeno, and in addition to the kidney beans, adds black beans and great northern beans. One of the best chili recipes I’ve tried!
Nice!
I just know you’ll get hooked on Scandal. :) And I’m gonna get hooked on this chili. Deal? Deal.
Hang in with Scandal…I am hooked and now watch several episodes a day…almost finished with Season 2 so now I can go to Season 3 with Hulu. I loved Orange is the new Black on Netflix, as well as the new seasons of Damages.
I NEED to watch Orange is the New Black – everyone talks about it! I’ll hang in there with Scandal. Thanks for the reccs :)
Oh pumpkin chili sounds so good!
Where in the grocery store do you find pumpkin puree?
I find mine in the baking section, usually near the canned pie fillings, but make sure to get pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling! :)
I make a similar chili that also has 2-4 cups of cubed butternut squash in it. Adds amazing texture and flavor! No one realizes that the pumpkin and butternut squash are in there.
Thanks for sharing, Marian! Sounds great!
So, I have never made pumpkin chili…..doh! Clearly, this needs to change! And yes, you will love House of Cards. Also, check out Orange is the the New Black!
Now THIS is a creative way to use up that extra pumpkin! I bet it adds so much flavor to the other spices. Such great comfort food, Julie!
What are you using to watch netflix? we use our Playstation and it never buffers, i used to use a Roku device its only 60-100$ and it works well if its nearish to the wifi unti. I love Scandal!! stick with it! there are tons of great shows on netflix, Lost, Mad men to name a couple. We also have a HULU plus subscription. We don’t have cable so having hulu and Netflix almost completly makes up for it! and the chilli looks awesome!
This chili sounds so so delicious!! I love the flavors in this recipe. My husband will devour this, I know it.
Awesome & healthy fall flavors! I’d love to dig into this :)
Oh, this sounds brilliant. Just perfect when you need a hearty meal at this time of year and love how easy you’ve made it!
What a perfect fall soup! This looks delicious!
For anyone that has made this, does this get thick in the crock pot? I made chili a few weeks ago and wasn’t thrilled with the thickness. It was kind of watered down. I am thinking the pumpkin would thicken it up a bit.
This one is not as thick as most chili’s. If you want thick chili, try this one: https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/crockpot-chili-cornbread/
All I have is leftover pumpkin pie mix from making a dip. Do you think it will ruin the recipe if I use it rather than puree?
Hi, Fiona..no, I mentioned you can’t use that. Pumpkin pie mix/filling has added spices and sweetness that is supposed to be used in pies alone. Definitely don’t use it in this savory dish. You need to use puree.
Love pumpkin and turkey! How many servings would you estimate this makes?
About 4-6 servings, depending on bowl size.
Also, if you leave out the water, do you think it will be thicker? Thank you!
Yes, it will be thicker if you leave out the water.