# Pumpkin Chili con Carne: The Protein Classic for Cool Evenings

> Beef, beans and pumpkin in one pot: over 40 g of protein per serving and a chili that tastes like autumn.

Chili con carne might be the best meal-prep dish there is: one pot, six servings, and on day two it tastes even better than on day one. Our autumn version swaps part of the beans for pumpkin, which adds more volume, more beta-carotene and a subtle sweetness that carries the heat.

## The Recipe (6 Servings)

**Ingredients:**

- 800 g ground beef
- 600 g pumpkin (butternut or Hokkaido), diced
- 2 cans of kidney beans (240 g drained weight each)
- 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (400 g each)
- 2 onions, 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp chili flakes, 1 pinch of cinnamon
- 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper
- 400 ml beef stock
- Topping: Greek yogurt, spring onions, lime

**Preparation:**

1. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent, briefly roast the tomato paste along with them.
2. Add the ground beef and brown it until crumbly and nicely colored. Stir in the spices.
3. Add the tomatoes, stock and pumpkin, cover and simmer for 25 minutes.
4. Rinse the beans, stir them in and let everything reduce uncovered for another 10 minutes.
5. Season with salt, pepper and lime juice. Serve with yogurt and spring onions.

Meal prep: Keeps for four days in the fridge and freezes well in portions.

## Why This Chili Belongs on Training Days

Per serving, beef and beans together deliver over 40 g of protein, plus iron and zinc from the meat and fiber from the beans and pumpkin, which feeds the microbiome and keeps you full for hours. The pumpkin adds beta-carotene for your mucous membrane barriers, right on time for the start of cold season.

If you want to refuel even more precisely after a hard workout: [WOO® Amino](/en/shop/woo-amino-can) delivers the essential amino acids in free form right after the WOD, and the chili takes over as the main meal afterwards. And on meat-free days you can swap the ground beef one to one for lentils, with [WOO® Protein](/en/shop/woo-protein-vanilla-can) securing your daily protein balance.

**From the shop:** [WOO® Amino](/en/shop/woo-amino-can) for recovery right after training, [WOO® Creatine Monohydrate](/en/shop/woo-creatine-monohydrate-can) as a daily foundation for strength and power, [WOO® Omega-3](/en/shop/woo-omega-3-can) for inflammation balance.