Loaded with protein, fibre, and plenty of flavour, this vegetarian pumpkin chili adds a touch of Mexican flair to an otherwise earthy and warming dish.
I realize that posting a chili recipe (made with pumpkin, no less) to celebrate the arrival of spring might not seem to make a lot of sense at first blush, but hear me out…
Yesterday was the first day of spring. Yesterday was also the first day it snowed in a good handful of weeks. We were enjoying gorgeous weather with plenty of sunshine and blue skies as winter wound down to a close, and now we’re buried under a fresh blanket of snow. I shouldn’t be surprised given Alberta’s history with the white stuff, but I was kind of hoping against hope that winter might slink away quietly this year without putting up much of a fight. Well played, Old Man… well played indeed. But at least it gives me an opportunity to share one of my favourite recipes with you guys — my Pumpkin Chili Mexican Scramble…
If you’ve been reading Spoons for any amount of time, you’ve probably seen this dish before — heck, you may have even tried it yourself. It’s been a favourite of mine for years now, and while it’s been hanging out on my recipes page for quite some time, it never got a proper post to showcase its fabulousness, so I figured it was time for a bit of an update.
I haven’t changed much about this recipe over the years aside from the size. The original recipe was for a single serving, which was fine when I had more time and desire to cook fresh meals every day, but started to get a little old after a while. Increasing the size of the batch not only decreased the amount of time I had to spend in the kitchen, but using an entire can of beans and pumpkin for the recipe meant I wasn’t left trying to figure out what to do with leftovers. Oh, and speaking of leftovers, I’ve found that this chili actually tastes better after spending a night in the fridge.
I suppose it’s not technically a chili with the addition of egg whites, but it’s a little more complex than a simple scramble, so let’s just call it a hybrid of the two, okay? Either way, it’s packed with plenty of protein and fibre, and gives you a lovely serving of veggies as well. The chili itself is earthy and warming from the spices, but takes on a cooling freshness as soon as you top it with salsa, avocado, and even cheese or sour cream. And for how complex and satisfying of a dish it is, it’s actually super easy to throw together. All you need is about 15 minutes before you can sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
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Pumpkin Chili Mexican Scramble
- Total Time: 20
Description
Loaded with protein, fibre, and plenty of flavour, this vegetarian pumpkin chili adds a touch of Mexican flair to an otherwise earthy and warming dish.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup mixed frozen vegetables (corn, peas, carrots, green beans)
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
- 1 15 oz. can of kidney beans, rinsed (can also use pinto or black beans)
- 1 tsp. curry powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 6 egg whites (or 3/4 cup liquid egg whites)
- large handful of spinach
- salsa
- avocado
- shredded cheese
Instructions
- Defrost frozen veggies.
- Over medium heat, saute the your veggies in coconut oil for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Add pumpkin puree, beans, and spices, mixing until fully combined. Cover and let cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour egg whites over the pumpkin mixture, incorporating slightly. Toss in a handful of spinach, cover, and let cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- When egg whites begin to set and spinach has wilted, stir entire mixture to combine evenly, letting cook a few more minutes. Transfer to a bowl, top with a dollop of salsa, sliced/mashed avocado, shredded cheese, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
This sounds absolutely delicious! We are just into Autumn here or Fall as you guys call it 😉 but the weather has been a mix of warm and cold days.
I love beans specifically lentils and chickpeas but my stomach doesn’t always love me when I have it unfortunately. I can have a little bit of them without pain but I definitely know when I’ve had too much.
I have to admit, the food photo definitely reeled me into your post! Yum, looks so good! Have a great weekend!
OH BABY! THIS just turned my taste buds on, HARD CORE! I do like beans but I cannot really eat them thanks to my intolerance, however, I would still make this sans the beans! The pumpkin and egg combo is the best!
YUM! I best this would be awesome with tofu, too!
Great pictures and the food looks amazing 😀
that first line you add is amazing. I’m going to exclusively read that line now with a british accent.
Soooo pumpkin has been retired now since November. I’m okay with it. But this would be fab with sweet potato too!
Wow, the fact that you posted a non-sweet recipe deserves a huge congrats! Hehe, and this looks and sounds so great even if it’s “different”. I love different. 😀
And that reminds me…still gotta keep updating those recipes, pictures, and all that jazz. Hope you have a lovely weekend, amiga!
It’s kind of fun to go back and tinker with old recipes 🙂 Have an awesome weekend, Ellie!
Omg, I literally have every single one of these ingredients in my kitchen. Thanks for the ideaaaa!!! 🙂
So….I’ve actually been looking at new savoury BREAKFAST ideas- I think I can somehow make this work into the rotation (especially seeing as I have a newfound affair with cumin….legal affair).- although thoughts on subbing in ground beef or another meat for the beans? Me and beans = amanda and peanut butter.
Yay!! I am so glad that you posted this 🙂 I cannot wait to try it. I still have pumpkin in my pantry, too! 🙂
Ok, WHEN is winter going away? I guess I shouldn’t be complaining because at least this weekend it is supposed to feel like spring, but then it gets cold again. Sigh. Funny thing is, when it is summer, I know I’m going to be longing for cooler temperatures. I always used to say that summer was way worse than winter, but after THIS winter, I’m not so sure.
you read my mind! this is my kind of scramble. PUMPKIN and EGG LOVER! and AVO and CURRY! brilliant
Hi just curious as to why on earth someone who already looks grossly underweight would only use eggwhites?
Egg whites give a dish a different texture than whole eggs do, and I prefer the texture of whites only in this recipe.
No winter hitting here anytime soon. It’s still sunny and 85 in Arizona! I love black beans too bad my tummy doesn’t love them as much as I do. Lately, I love my eggs scrambled with shaved Brussels sprouts. Yummy!
Love making scrambles with pumpkin and beans! So delicious and two pair surprisingly well together!!!
Wow! Such an awesome, guilt-free recipe. Can’t wait to try this one out.
I’ve had this on my “to make” list forever. Lately, I’ve been on a major egg scramble kick and pretty much eat one every week night. I just made out my grocery list for the next week and I will be picking up everything needed to recreate this deliciousness. Can’t wait!
Oh yum this sounds so good! I love most anything with pumpkin. Our weather here still feels like winter so it would still be perfect to enjoy some tasty pumpkin.
My son would love this recipe, I really need to buy pumpkin (add it to my list) so that I can make it… My son loves eggs much more than I do but I eat them in my favorite pancake recipe.
Sooo you just ruined my Friday night plans. Well, let me re-phrase, you completely altered my Friday night plans (in a good way). After I leave the office Friday nights I force myself to go straight to the grocery store and buy ALL my food for the weekend and following week. I walk in with my list of ingredients, what meals I am eating, etc. I already had my list ready to go. I was SUPPOSED to have spaghetti squash casserole for lunches this week, but I just printed your recipe off for an impromptu switch-eroo. So I am re-writing my list and checking it twice 😉
My only worry is the egg might get a little iffy if I freeze them (I batch cook 5 days worth of lunches and freeze em). So I might have to sub in little scrimps (shrimp) for the protein kick. I know, I know, again with the fish..! 😉
Blasphemy! But I forgive you because I love you <3
You were hit with snow on the first day of Spring?! It sounds like it should be against the law for this to happen. Old man is definitely going in the slammer if caught in the act! 😉
I eat a lot of beans because it’s one of my main protein sources and I thiiiink I’m a fan of black beans the most! Kidney beans are good, but only in chili. I think black beans are the most versatile!
Favorite way to eat eggs: Sunny side up! Dippy! Bird in the nest! Toad in a hole! Whichever you prefer to call it 😉
This looks SO GOOD !!! Never thought of pumpkin _+ eggs + beans really… Your pictures look great though and no tomato sauce in “chili” very interesting !! Will def have to try this one out thanks for the recipe 🙂
LOVE scrambles, but life-long anaphylaxis allergies to egg means mine have tofu. I’ll be making this pronto. Brinner!
I think it’s like a chili rule that it tastes better after hanging out in the fridge overnight. My favourite part of making it is lunch the next day!
I do like beans, but I don’t really eat them all that often…I should get on that soon. I love chickpeas (as in hummus) and black beans the most.
Eggs? All day, err day. (well….it seems like it, anyways)
Have a fabulous weekend love!
This must be delicious! Pumpkin is one of my favourite foods! Do you think I could use whole eggs instead of egg whites?
You definitely could! It would just change the texture a little bit.
Oh yum! I love comfort meals like this. All I need to do is pick up the pumpkin and I will be all set to make this this weekend! Happy Friday!
Daaaang that looks so good! Mexican food is one of my favorites (probably because it’s so easily made vegetarian!) but I’ve never tried it with pumpkin!
YUM! I love this Mexican scramble idea. Beans and eggs are probably two of my favorite foods, so I’m thinking I’d be a huge fan of this. Great idea and beautiful photos!
Speaking of beautiful photos… you look gorgeous in your new avatar pic 😀
This is so interesting to me!! I would never think about pairing all these ingredients together. But it looks so pretty thus making me want to devour it! I’m not a huge fan of beans, they make my stomach hurt (and not because of gas, it will just hurt haha) But this just sounds too good to pass up on!
Mexican scramble with avocado? Yes please! We actually had a ridiculous (and surprising) snow storm in DC Sunday-Monday (cancelling work!) but it’s going to be in the 70s this weekend? We have the strangest weather here! Fav way to eat eggs- strange, but one whole egg with a couple extra whites scrambled, topped with orange marmalade. Yummy!
What an exciting hybrid! Sorry to hear about your weather lady, we are enjoying some nice sunshine here in France and I hope that I will make it out for a run. But really, I can eat chili all year round and don’t really feel like it’s solely a winter food. Do you think the recipe would work out if I use three full eggs instead of 6 egg whites? I am not a fan of throwing away the yolks, from time to time Lou get’s one, but 6 would be overkill 😀
Definitely! It might change the texture a tad, but it should still be delicious 🙂
OUR. WEATHER. You are so right – how naive were we to think that we might actually have a “normal” winter? I had chilli last night to celebrate too. 😉 Cheer up, though, today is supposed to be a balmy -20!
The egg whites are such a cool addition to this! I think that I am definitely going to make this on the weekend hand have the BEST lunches all week long.
I think we actually might make it up to -10 today! Woo! Time to bust out the tee shirt and shorts
Looks yummy! It was warm here yesterday and today, but tomorrow it’s cooling off again.
That looks really yummy. I would totally use black beans (they are my favorite by far) and use fresh chopped peppers (they are a favorite too) in there.
We didn’t get snow yesterday, but we did this past Monday and we are supposed to next week. I’m in DC. This is rare! It’s going to be 60 today….
This would be a perfectly satisfying breakfast! It looks deeeelicious! And as you know, I love eggs and avocado! Such a yummy combo!
I like to scramble my eggs or have eggs over easy; although, I’m not the best at making a runny egg, so I leave that up to Justin! 😉
Yummy!!! Filled with so many yummy ingredients!
This looks delicious! I love a good chili loaded with avocado!
I adore beans-black, kidney, pinto, navy, garbanzo – I love em ALL!!! It’s in just about every savory dish I make! Amanda – this recipe really sounds amazing – it is jam packed with goodness – egg whites, spinach, veggies, AND BEANS!!! And you have my fav spices in this – curry, cumin and turmeric! So glad you devoted another post to this dish!
It’s supposed to get real cold here come Monday – but the next couple of days are gonna be nice – that seems to be the pattern here, 2 days of gorgeous 60’s and 70’s and then 5 days of 30’s and 40’s!
Hope your weekend is filled with warmth – like the warmth from a bowl of this soup!
xx’s
First off – ANYTHING pumpkin. and ANYTHING with guacamole/avocado!
Secondly, I wish I could eat more beans! I really like them, but they don’t like me as much 🙁
I do eat eggs all the time though, usually hard-boiled. In salads or as their own egg salad 🙂 I love them any way, really.
It’s supposed to be over 50 here in Wisco today! Thank GOODNESS. Finally a little taste of spring? Happy Friday! 🙂
My stomach can be hit or miss with beans — depending on its mood 😆 Have you ever tried Beano? That helps 🙂
No I haven’t tried it! But it’s more the whole digestive process for me. My body just doesn’t like them 🙁 : drat! :
But I will definitely still try this bomb recipe 😉