If there’s one thing we want on a chilly evening it’s a bowl of something warm and comforting. Soups and stews are great options, but one of our absolute favorite things to come from a pot or slow cooker is a batch of homemade chili. We decided to try a fall-themed recipe for this particular batch of chili and, wow, it’s truly something amazing. A heaping bowl of this hearty chili is the best way to end a chilly fall evening. Have we piqued your interest yet?

Building layers of flavor is super important, so the chili starts with a sauté of carrots and onion, two fundamental base ingredients for chili. We add garlic and cook that until fragrant, this way we’ll capture the best flavor from the garlic. Sticking with our fall motif means we’re adding ground turkey to our chili. We like to use ground turkey here because it’s lighter in flavor and works really well with the pumpkin and herbs. Then we add some beautifully rich fall ingredients to make the chili so savory and delicious. Garlic, cumin, cinnamon, pumpkin puree, and sage each contribute to the layers of savory flavor.

We’re not done yet! Cannellini beans add even more substance but also a nice creamy texture to the soup. We get even more depth of flavor by adding in some chicken broth. The real secret ingredient is the addition of chipotle peppers that are packed in an adobo sauce. There’s a kind of luxurious heat and spice that permeates throughout the chili after we add the peppers into the mix. To temper the spice just a little, we add heavy whipping cream to finish the chili and the cream goes a long way in balancing all of these different layers of flavor.

After about 40 minutes, we’re left with an amazing pot of rich and hearty creamy white bean and pumpkin chili. Just look at that rich golden color! And the smell alone is enough to make everyone’s stomach start to grumble. Such a flavorful chili made in just 40 minutes! You should expect to hear the clatter of spoons against your bowls as this soup is devoured and enjoyed.