Best Ever Healthy Turkey Chili
My kids hated chili. I suspect it was the beans, which I’d tried to hide by switching out types, mashing them into the sauce and halving their total amounts.
But those kids could spot a bean in any disguise, and they weren’t having it. After giving it multiple tries, I gave up.
Try and try again
Once they hit middle school I tried it again. But there was clearly anti-bean muscle memory still in play and they still wouldn’t have it. When they were younger I’d tried, saying, “This is dinner. You’re going to be awfully hungry later, if you don’t eat it . . .”
In Middle School, they just shrugged when I threatened starvation. There is a certain futility to threatening hunger when they stayed up later than we did, and they had full access to household food. Again, I gave up.
Third time wasn’t a charm
I tried again in high school, because by this point, there were frequently only one or two- of the three, present at dinner and I thought maybe I could disrupt the sibling solidarity. No luck.
So, I perfected what my husband and I liked. And this is it.
I found once I had added all the seasonings, we really couldn’t even tell the difference between beef chili and turkey chili. So turkey chili it became, and my one pound often bulged to a four-pound recipe so I could freeze copious amounts of it to have on nights none of the kids were around.
Open to substitutions depending on taste
While I follow this recipe, it’s pretty malleable and you can make all kinds of substitutions to fit your tastes. If you don’t like green peppers, use red. If kidney beans aren’t your thing, throw in garbanzos/chick peas. You can use canned, chopped tomatoes, or fresh. I’ve got the kick to just where we like it but you can certainly adjust the chili powder to your heat quotient.
Enjoy! And here’s hoping (if you’ve still got kids at home) that you succeed in the chili department where I never really did.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, chopped
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 4 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup tomate sauce, canned
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 5 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1- 15.25 oz can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 medium green pepper, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion; saute until soft. Add garlic and carrots and cook for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn garlic. Add turkey and brown, about 5 minutes, stirring to break of lumps.
- Add chili powder, paprika, cumin and red pepper flakes, tomatoes and tomato sauce, broth and vinegar. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Add beans and green pepper. Simmer, uncovered, until peppers are soft, about 10 minutes.
- Serve with sour cream and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- 4 servings. About 1 cup each.
