Turkey Chili Recipe

Name: Turkey Chili Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons olive oil; 1 onion, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 zucchini, chopped (and peeled if desired); 1 bell pepper (any color), chopped; 1 pound lean ground turkey; 3 TBS chili powder; 2 tsp cumin; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1/2 tsp salt (to taste); 2 (14-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with the liquid; 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth (reduced-sodium preferred); 1 cans beans (like kidney or black), rinsed and drained; 1 can sweet corn, rinsed and drained; Optional: 1 cup cooked quinoa; Optional toppings: avocado, cilantro, sour cream, etc

by Ashley Keating September 7, 2021

This Turkey Chili Recipe

There are probably as many recipes for chili in the world as there for any other dish. Let’s face it: we love the warm heartiness of a bowl of chili in the fall or winter! And for good reason. In addition to being a great way to warm up (from the inside out), chili can be a completely balanced, nutritionally excellent meal. By adding in loads of veggies, beans, and/ or lean meat (like in this turkey chili recipe), a bowl of chili can help you get in plenty of vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and protein. Counting your bowl of chili as part of your daily vegetable intake sounds like a pretty good deal to me!

Spices for Chili Recipes

Chili is also completely customizable. In addition to swapping in different vegetables, beans, meat, or other vegetarian protein, you can mix up the spices to suit your family too. We have a couple of small kids in our house, so we keep our main pot of chili pretty tame. (This turkey chili recipe is pretty tame, from a spice perspective). After it’s cooked, I douse mine with hot sauce and sometimes cayenne pepper. I love it spicy! If you have a house that loves a lot of spice, you can try upping the chili powder to 4 TBS and adding in a few pinches of cayenne. If you have a household that doesn’t like spice, I would recommend sticking to the original, easy chili recipe.

Other Ingredients for Turkey Chili

There are lots of other ingredients that would be delicious in this turkey chili. I love adding in some fresh greens (particularly spinach, but any would work) at the very end, and stirring them into the chili until they wilt. Another great addition is chopped cauliflower. I like to chop it very small so that it fits in well with all the other pieces. Another family favorite is pumpkin in chili! But that’s a recipe for another day. The point is, do wild. Use up whatever you have in the fridge.

Turkey Chili in the Crock Pot

You know, we love the crock pot around here. I love dumping all my ingredients into the pot at the beginning of the day and knowing that dinner is ready when dinnertime rolls around. This turkey chili in the crock pot is a perfect example of an easy, healthy, delicious meal. But, you can make this chili on the stove too! It’s essentially the same process. Cook the onion and turkey as stated in the directions. Then add the peppers and zucchini and saute for a few minutes. Add in all the spices, tomatoes, and broth. Let everything simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. I prefer to add in the beans and corn at the end so they don’t get mushy. Tada! Either way will work great for this yummy dinner. Just don’t forget all the toppings. Love Soup? Try some of our other favorites, including Vegetable Soup and Pumpkin Soup. If you make this crock pot chili recipe, let us know! Tag us on Pinterest or Instagram and show us what you made.