Turkey chili is one of our favorite foods – easy to make, easy to tweak and really easy to stretch into multiple meals (it even freezes well!). The recipe below calls for kale – but is easily swapped to spinach or even omitted if you have a kale dislike in your house. Bell peppers, sweet potatoes and squash are different produce that is easily added to almost any soup too. With a versatile recipe on your weekly meal plan, you can cut down the time you spend in the kitchen, cook a giant pot of hearty chili (or double the recipe!) and avoid getting bored by serving it multiple ways!
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoons brown sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth, plus more to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can of corn (15 ounces) or 2 cups frozen
- 2-3 cups Dino or Tuscan kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
Directions:
- Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add in the ground turkey and brown. Use a spatula to flip and break up the turkey as it cooks but don’t stir too often or the meat won’t brown. Season with half of the salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes then transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- Use 1/2 of the leftover grease or juices from the meat to cook the onion, celery and carrots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes then add in the garlic and continue to cook for 30 more seconds. Add in seasonings, including the other half of the salt and pepper. Then add in tomato paste and brown sugar. Cook, coating the onions in the spices for 2 minutes. Add in the crushed tomatoes and use a wooden spoon to stir and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.Add in chicken broth then cooked turkey. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add in the drained beans. Drain just half of the corn juices (if using canned) and add the corn plus its juices to the pot. Stir in the kale until wilted, 1-2 minutes or less.
- Top with sliced avocado and enjoy! Another easy change you can make is it to thicken it with additional smashed beans for a different texture.
Thank you, The Vintage Mixer, for this week’s recipe!
Here are a few ways to change how you serve chili and add some variety to your weekly meal plans:
– Serve as a topping on a breakfast hash
– Serve in a baked sweet potato
– Stuff bell peppers and bake until soft
– Serve over spaghetti squash
– Serve as a side dish over other steamed vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower
– Serve over sweet potato wedges as “loaded” potatoes
– Topping on parsnip fries
– Topping on an omelette or scrambled eggs
– Made a casserole by adding additional veggies and baking in the oven until hot
– Taco salad – top chopped romaine lettuce and peppers with chili
– Chili burgers over a turkey burger patty
