Pumpkin Chili in the Pressure Cooker

Serves 8 in about 55 minutes. The pressure cooker brings ground beef and tomato paste together.

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey 93% lean)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 teaspoons oregano (mexican if you have it)
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (or 1 tsp table salt, or more to taste)
• 1 (7 oz) can green chiles, diced, mild
• 2 ½ cups chicken broth (low sodium)
• 1 chipotle in adobo (plus 2 tsp of the adobo sauce)
• 2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans, or pinto beans (rinsed & drained)
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
• 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) about 2 cups
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

Method

1. Have all of the ingredients ready: chopped, measured, and cans opened, before you start!
2. Turn on the pot's Sauté setting. Tip in the ground beef, onion, and the bay leaf. Cook, while stirring now and then and breaking up the meat, until mostly done.
3. Tip in the garlic and cook, while stirring often, for 30 seconds.
4. Stir in the oregano, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and salt. Stir.
5. Tip in the green chiles, chicken broth, the chipotle pepper & adobo sauce, and all of the beans. Stir.
6. Tip in the diced tomatoes and their juice.Don't stir.
7. Tip in the pumpkin by spoonfuls on top. Don't stir it in. Do the same with the tomato paste (by not stirring you are avoiding the possibility of getting the dreaded "Burn" message from it being too thick).
8. Cancel the Sauté setting and close the lid. Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
9. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the +/- button or dial to select 10 minutes. High pressure. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
10. When the cook cycle has finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 15 minutes (15 instant natural release). Then manually Quick Release the remaining steam/pressure by turning the steam release knob to the Venting position.
11. When the pin in the lid drops down, open the lid and carefully stir the chili. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
12. Plate with your favorite garnishes on top. Some suggestions are: cheese, sour cream, avocado, crushed tortilla chips, onion, cilantro, or whatever you like!

More instant pot ideas are in the instant pot collection.