This one-pot meal is the ultimate combination of comfort and convenience. Made with household ingredients, this easy turkey chili recipe requires minimal washing up, tastes even better the day after, and comes together in under 30.
It’s hard to believe that we’ve just started our ninth week of shelter-in-place in San Francisco. Some days last an eternity yet the weeks seem to disappear. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t over quarantine, but we’re finding a new equilibrium, filled with park dates, online workouts, virtual happy hours, and cooking.
Fitness
Fortunately, we live in an area where I’ve been able to continue to run outside without too much stress. I’ve also been doing yoga classes through glo.com ($18/month), as well as Orange Theory’s free workout videos. I’ve enjoyed both far more than I expected and definitely recommend if you’re looking for at-home exercise options. Our Bowflex adjustable dumbbells have been immensely useful too during quarantine.
Virtual Happy Hours and Park Dates
As an extrovert, virtual happy hours and social-distancing park hangs have been giving me life during quarantine. We’ve been whipping up new cocktails like French 75 on weekends and playing online games like Quiplash and Drawful to keep our Zoom happy hours interesting.
Cooking
Yes, like everyone else I am on the bread-making bandwagon. A couple of weeks ago I wrote about making yeast-free, gluten-free focaccia and that has continued. I’ve also been cooking-up loads of muffins, as well as healthified comfort foods like enchiladas, spaghetti bolognese, pizza, risotto, and chili.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, then you know that quick, healthy meals are my jam, and COVID-19 has very much reinforced that. My thrice-weekly grocery haul has been replaced with a single delivery so, I’ve been trying to make fewer ingredients go further. And this chili recipe does just that.
Easy Turkey-Black Bean Chili
My husband, Ethan, adores chili and this recipe got his stamp of approval. Like most of my recipes, it relies on pantry staples and simple, nourishing ingredients. Moreover, it makes great leftovers and is ready in under 30 minutes. I added black beans to this recipe as a source of high-fiber carbs, but you can easily swap for sweet potato or pumpkin if you don’t have beans.
Chili Powder vs. Ground Chili Pepper
This recipe uses chili powder as the main flavoring which is NOT the same as ground chili pepper. Chili powder is a blend of spices including cumin, paprika, garlic, onion, oregano, and ground chili/cayenne. Ground chili pepper – on the other hand – is made exclusively of ground, dried chilis. If you want to add more heat to this chili recipe, add a dash of ground chili pepper/ cayenne by all means, but it’s not a substitute for chili powder.
Bon appétit, friends! Wishing you a happy, healthy week.
Easy Weeknight Turkey Chili
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup, main, one-pot, quick, easy, gluten-free
- Cuisine: American
Description
This one-pot meal is the ultimate combination of comfort and convenience. Made with household ingredients, this recipe requires minimal washing up, tastes even better the day after and comes together in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 red onion (3/4 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 can (15oz/ 425g) no-added salt black beans
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1lb (450g) 94% lean ground turkey
- 2 tbsp chili powder (see recipe note on chili powder vs. ground chili pepper)
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 28oz (790g) diced canned tomatoes
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup low-sodium turkey/chicken broth
Optional toppings:
- Avocado
- Cheddar cheese
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Peel, crush and mince the garlic.
- Finely dice the red onion.
- Remove the seeds and white membranes from the red bell pepper and slice into thin strips.
- Rinse and drain the canned black beans and set aside.
- Add the garlic, diced red onion, red pepper strips and the olive oil to a large soup pot and plan on the stove.
- Turn on the stove to medium heat and saute until the onion and peppers become soft.
- Add the ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, and salt to the pot. Break up the turkey with a wooden spoon as it browns.
- Once the ground turkey is brown all over, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken/turkey stock, and black beans to the pot. Stir together the ingredients and cook over low-medium heat for 20 minutes with the lid on.
- Serve with toppings of choice.
Notes
- Chili powder is not the same as ground chili pepper. Chili powder is a spice blend, whereas ground chili pepper is made exclusively of ground, dried chilis.
- Ground turkey can easily be substituted for ground chicken in this recipe.
- Black beans can be substituted for 1-2 cups of sweet potato or pumpkin.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 340
- Sugar: 11.4 g
- Sodium: 1828.2 mg
- Fat: 18.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.5 g
- Fiber: 5.2 g
- Protein: 26.4 g
