Turkey Chili (new recipe)

This is my new go-to recipe for chili. It's a little different from how I'd been making chili for years as I now tend to use ground turkey and I skip the chorizo. I think it's still great as it remains full of flavor but isn't as greasy.

I start by prepping all the ingredients while I heat up some olive oil in the pot. Best to get all the chopping and dicing out of the way now. Garlic, onion and red bell pepper. Drain some mild green chiles and diced tomatoes. Meantime, I brown some ground turkey, add some salt and pepper and set that aside in a colander to drain.

I add more olive oil into the pot and cook the onions until translucent, add garlic and then the diced red bell pepper. You can also use green bell pepper or pimiento out of a jar. After a couple of tosses, I add the green chiles and diced tomatoes. I just use canned because it's easier but I try to drain them as well as I can. I sometimes save the liquid and add that later on if I need it.

I let the whole thing cook for about 10 minutes or so before I add the beans. Then I season with paprika, oregano, a dash of cumin and some chili powder. I don't use much chili powder because the kids can't eat it if it's too spicy and sometimes I use cayenne or chipotle chili powder, whatever is on hand. My husband prefers the heat of sriracha anyway so no matter how spicy or not spicy I make it, he's going to douse the lot with his sauce of choice.

I pour in about one cup of beef broth and stir. I add the browned ground turkey and the liquid I saved from the tomatoes earlier. The liquid I saved came up to about 3/4 cup. You can add more beef broth if you prefer. I like to have just enough liquid to go up to the level of the meat, so it's all covered in liquid, bearing in mind that we will still add a can of tomato sauce. If using tomato paste instead of sauce, you definitely want more broth.

I let it simmer for a few more minutes after adding the tomato sauce and some bay leaves. At this point, I taste and re-season as necessary. I usually leave it covered and lightly simmering for about 30 minutes, which is about the time that it takes me to make some cornbread to eat with it. I just give it a stir after uncovering and let it cool for a few minutes before transferring to bowls.

The bowls are topped with a dollop of nonfat plain Greek yogurt, some diced tomatoes (fresh, not canned) and a sprinkle of cheddar. If you like a little green, you could add some cilantro but my kids don't like it so sometimes I garnish with fresh basil. Either way, it can be removed if they don't want to eat it. Serve with some cornbread or rice! (My husband will have both.)

Making chili in giant batches is great because it freezes well. You don't need to eat it night after night after night until it's all gone. If you want it just for one dinner, freeze the rest. The night before you plan to have it for dinner again, take the portion out of the freezer and thaw in the fridge overnight. It heats up nicely on the stove or you can microwave it. Chili is one of those things that tastes better the next day than after you'd just made it so it's also great for a make ahead meal on the weekend that you can enjoy during the week. It's also versatile because you can eat it as is, or use it to stuff peppers. I've eaten it with nacho chips and even pasta. It's an easy favorite over here, that's for sure!

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Easy Turkey Chili

by Mylinda at Pondering Food

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 red bell pepper or diced pimiento (optional)
• 1 can diced green chiles, drained (optional)
• 1 can black beans, drained and washed
• 1 can red beans, drained and washed
• 1-2 cups beef broth 
• 2T olive oil
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 2t paprika
• 1t dried oregano
• 1/4t cumin
• salt and pepper to taste
• chili powder (add enough to give the heat you desire, start with a dash or two and taste)
• 2 large dried bay leaves
• to serve (optional) nonfat plain Greek yogurt, fresh tomatoes, fresh cilantro, cheese

Instructions:

1. Brown turkey in some olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain and set aside.

2. Add olive oil to pan again and cook onions. Once translucent, add garlic and red bell pepper/pimiento, if using. Stir once or twice and add drained diced tomatoes (you can also use fresh but remove liquid interior and seed) and green chiles, if using. Let cook for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are broken up and soft. Stir once in awhile to prevent from sticking to the bottom of pan (unless your pan is non-stick, in which case, this is not necessary). This is your general sofrito base.

3. Add cleaned and drained beans. Season with paprika, oregano, cumin and chili powder. Add the browned turkey and enough beef broth to cover all meat and beans. You can also use any saved liquid from diced tomatoes and green chiles. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.

4. Add tomato sauce and bay leaves if using. Taste to see if any seasonings need to be adjusted. I may add a little salt at this point, especially if the beans used are unsalted. Cover and let simmer lightly for another 30 minutes or so. Remove bay leaves and discard.

5. Serve in individual bowls topped with a dollop of nonfat plain Greek yogurt, some fresh diced tomatoes and shredded cheese.