Turkey Chili

It’s that time of year when the temperatures begin to drop, the days become shorter, and all you want to do is reach for all things cozy. Flannels, fleeces, sweaters (ok, not quite there yet without sweating, ha), cozy drinks, and warming comfort food like soups, stews, and chili, oh my!

This healthy one-pot turkey chili is the ultimate comfort food that’s perfectly spiced and packed with protein and fiber. It’s a delicious crowd pleasing weeknight meal that can be made in less than 45 minutes, not to mention it tastes even better as leftovers for lunch — hello meal prep. Eat it as is, serve with a baked potato, or enjoy as a dip with your favorite tortilla chips!

This recipe is flexible in that you can easily double this recipe if you’re feeding more than two and are looking for extra meal, reduce or increase the heat factor based on your liking, add more veggies, or switch out or combine the ground meat (with ground beef, dark turkey, or chicken). Then top it off with some diced avocado, tortilla chips, some good ol’ sour cream or shredded cheddar cheese, and dig in.

Turkey Chili Recipe
Time: 45 minutes
Yields: 3 or more servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 pound ground turkey

• 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup full)

• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped (about 2 tbs)

• 2 stems of celery, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

• 1-2 jalapeño peppers (based on your desired heat)

• 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced

• 1 tablespoon oregano (fresh or dried)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 cinnamon stick (optional)

• 2-3 tablespoons chili powder

• 1.5 tbs ground cumin

• 1 1/2 cups diced or crushed tomatoes

• 1 cup chicken stock or bone broth (I used homemade bone broth)

• 1 15 ounce can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over high heat and add the ground turkey. Cook until lightly browned for about 4-5 minutes, using a spatula or spoon to break the meat apart.

2. Add the onions, garlic, celery, jalapeños, pepper, oregano, bay leaf, chili powder, and cumin, and stir to combine. Cook for about 4 minutes.

3. Add the tomato, chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and let it sit for 15-20 minutes (the longer the better), stirring occasionally.

4. Add the beans, stir until combined, and let it sit and summer for another 10-20 minutes. Top it off with your favorite toppings like avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream or shredded cheddar cheese.

This recipe was inspired by a combo of the NYT chili recipe and The River Cottage Meat Book recipe.

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