I’ve always been a sucker for a really good sauce or dressing. And this Pumpkin Turkey Chili Mole is no exception. Whenever I would cook dinner and eat with my family, it’s pretty typical that I would put 3-4 sauces on the table because I just couldn’t freaking decide which one I wanted. Confusion ensued for everyone else but me…”umm, what are we supposed to do with all of these??” Obviously, try them and all decide which one you like best, DUH. Probably didn’t help that I, most of the time, am extremely indecisive when it comes to my food. Whenever my best friend Daniela and I get together to cook, it probably takes us a solid hour to decide what we’re going to make before we even start cooking. The struggle is real.

My sauce obsession was totally fueled when I visited one of my favorite restaurants ever in Salt Lake City called Red Iguana – where they have seven different kinds of mole sauces and you get to try a sampler of them before you decide which one you want on your meal. LITERAL HEAVEN for me. Also, PSA, if you’re ever in Salt Lake, you MUST GO there. Just saying.

Mole is a traditional Mexican sauce traditionally made with dried and fresh chiles, spices, nuts, herbs, sometimes fruit, and vegetables. And holy WOW, talk about a flavor explosion in your mouth. This was my first time at attempting my own Mole recipe, and I knew I wanted to make it something totally new and different, with some fall flavors stuck in there, and as a bonus, some immune and gut-health-boosting bone broth collagen from my favorite Vital Proteins! Because while all the ingredients that go into Mole may be totally delicious, for some people, they’re pretty hard to digest – between the tomatoes and chile peppers (nightshades), nuts and seeds; which the bone broth collagen will definitely help with. Plus, a little collagen boost never hurt nobody (I mean, hello, who doesn’t need a boost for their hair, skin, nails, digestion, and cartilage/joints every once in a while…or, if you have a gut/autoimmune condition, ALL the time?) PS – read more about why I love incorporating Vital Proteins collagen and gelatin both with my clients and in my personal  routine all the time HERE.

Plus, you know, laziness and/or convenience for the WIN. I used to be really consistent at making a batch of broth every single week, but now, I’ve really fallen off that train. Now, instead of having to make myself a batch, I can just combine a scoop or two of the dried Bone Broth Collagen (which comes in both chicken or beef broth) with about a cup of water, and boom! Instant broth – to be used just as a drink, as a supplemental protein source (each scoop has about 9g of protein per serving), or to be used in recipes as a flavor booster. Freaking awesome, right?

This mole sauce ain’t bad either. Juuuuust sayin’.

Paleo Pumpkin Turkey Chile Mole (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker!)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

40 mins (Instant Pot) or 4-8 hours (Slow Cooker)

Total time

50 mins

 

Dana: Real Food with Dana

Serves: 6+ servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 Tbsp ghee
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 ½ Tbsp ancho chile powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• 1 cup filtered water
• 4 Scoops Vital Proteins Chicken Bone Broth Collagen
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 can pumpkin
• 1 can tomato paste (5 oz)
• 2 tsp sea salt, divided
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

For serving:

• Pumpkin seeds
• Chopped cilantro
• Sliced avocado
• Coconut cream or coconut milk yogurt

Directions

Instant pot instructions

1. Turn the instant pot setting to “Sauté”. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp ghee, the onion, pepper, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for about 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
2. Stir in the tomato paste and garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
3. Add in the turkey + 1 ½ tsp sea salt. Once it starts to brown (a few more minutes), add the spices (ancho chile powder, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa).
4. Add the diced tomatoes, 1 cup of water, 4 scoops of vital proteins collagen, and the can of pumpkin.
5. Lock the lid and cook under high pressure for 15 minutes - press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and set the timer for 15 minutes under pressure.
6. If you want to eat now (right now!), quick release the valve to let the pressure off. Then press Sauté again and let it cook for about 5 minutes to cook some of the liquid off.
7. If you don’t need to eat right this second, you can let the pressure come down on it’s own, then follow the Sauté step above to cook some of the liquid off.

Slow cooker instructions

1. Dump and go! Throw everything into the slow cooker, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, and stirring until all the ingredients are well distributed. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours. You might want to cook for the last half hour with the top OFF to help simmer off some of the liquid.

Garnish

1. Finish it off with some avocado slices, chopped cilantro, and pumpkin seeds. Bonus points if you throw on some coconut cream, like a paleo sour cream!

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This post is sponsored by my friends at Vital Proteins! Though I received compensation for this post, all thoughts and opinions are my own *snape voice* oooobviously. This post contains some affiliate links.

Want more recipes with gut-healing collagen and gelatin? check these out!

Paleo Chocolate Banana Cream Pie
Cumin-Cinnamon Carrot & Sweet Potato Soup
Mango Ginger Green Smoothie
Apple Chaider with Paleo Gingerbread Marshmallows