Pumpkin and Black Bean Chili over Rice (No Meat, One Pot)
One can of pumpkin makes this chili creamy without any dairy. Two cans of beans and a can of corn make it a full meal, the rice underneath stretches it, and one pot feeds a family twice. Everything is in the bag except the onion, garlic, oil and water.
Serves 8 to 10 · About 40 minutes · One pot for the chili, one for the rice · No meat
What you need
IN YOUR BAG
1 can pumpkin purée, 15 oz (100% pumpkin, not pie filling)
2 cans black beans, 15 oz each
1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz
1 can corn, 15 oz
Vegetable bouillon cubes (you'll use 2), or 4 cups vegetable broth if you have it
1 packet chili seasoning
White rice (you'll use 1½ cups from the 2 lb bag)
FROM YOUR KITCHEN
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 tablespoon oil
4 cups water
Salt to taste
NICE TO HAVE
A squeeze of lime
A spoon of sour cream or yogurt
Shredded cheese
Cilantro
Tortilla chips
How to Make It
Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the chili seasoning and stir for 1 minute, until it smells toasty.
Add the pumpkin, the tomatoes with their juice, 4 cups of water and 2 bouillon cubes (or 4 cups of broth). Stir until the cubes and the pumpkin dissolve.
Drain and rinse the beans and drain the corn. Add both. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until it thickens.
While it simmers, cook the rice: 1½ cups rice, 3 cups water and a pinch of salt in a covered pot. Bring to a boil, turn to low, 18 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Taste the chili. Add salt if it needs it; a splash of water if it's thicker than you like.
Spoon the chili over the rice. Top with whatever you have.
Good to Know
Keeping it. Covered in the fridge, 4 days. It freezes well for 3 months; freeze the chili and the rice separately.
Less salt. Use 1 bouillon cube instead of 2 and skip added salt; the seasoning packet already has some.
Feeding more. Add the second can of diced tomatoes if you have one, or another can of beans, and cook the whole 2 lb bag of rice. The pot stretches to 12 without tasting thin.
Why it is Built this Way
Pumpkin is a vegetable, not a dessert. Fiber, vitamin A, and a creamy texture that usually takes cheese or cream. Nobody tastes pumpkin; they taste a rich chili.
Beans and corn together. Two cans of beans bring the protein and most of the fiber; corn adds sweetness and color and turns a side into a meal.
Rice underneath. A bowl of chili over rice feeds more people than chili alone, and the rice soaks up the liquid so nothing is wasted.
Reviewed by Olivia Meza, MS, RD.
