This lightened up turkey chili is a super easy recipe that’s bound to be a hit at your next summer cookout. Turkey Chili can be served many different ways, but a favorite is over zucchini noodles, brown rice or quinoa. For a party, load it on nachos with cheese or serve over a tortilla with fresh avocado and grilled corn. There are endless options for making this healthy and flavorful dish!
By: Snezana Paucinac, HCTP November Accelerated 2016
INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
- 3 Tbsp chili powder (or up to 4 Tbsp if you like it more hot)
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
- 2 28-ounce cans crushed or whole peeled tomatoes (I like using whole peeled tomatoes and crushing them my self)
- 3/4 cup of turkey stock or chicken stock (if store bought make sure its low sodium)
- 2 15 oz cans kidney or black beans, drained
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more if desired to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lbs of shredded, cooked turkey meat (simply fry the ground turkey with touch of avocado oil; or use leftover roasted turkey)
- Pinch of sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large pot (I use big cast iron pot) heat the olive oil on high heat. Add the onions and green peppers and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin, and cook for a minute or two more. Add a bit more olive oil if needed.
- Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, beans, oregano, salt, pepper, and cooked turkey meat. Its important to taste chili at this point and add one pinch of sugar just to bring down the acidity of the tomatoes.
- The chili will have the bright red color at first but as you cook it, it will turn dark red, almost brown and it will have much thicker consistency.
- Close the lid, bring chili to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook for 45 min-1 hr. Don’t worry about overcooking it, the longer you cook the chili the tastier will get.
Snezana Paucinac is a holistic Health Coach, mom, recipe developer and creator of SP Nutrition and Health Coaching. Snezana grew up in Southeastern Europe eating farm to table home cooked meals. She later moved to a new country where fast food was on every street and driving was the norm. She become unhealthy and created a vicious circle of chronic dieting and endless cardio that lasted for years. After getting pregnant and having her children, she became more and more interested in health and nutrition and discovered the she had a passion for helping people feel their best. She’s now coaching others to help them discover their love for nutritious food and show exercise as a stress reliever, not a chore. You can find more from Snezana on SPNutritionandHealth.com and on Instagram @SP_Nutrition_and_Health!
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