This Ground Turkey Chili is filled with ground turkey, lots of veggies and just the right amount of spice. It is a healthy and easy dinner idea!
Yes to all the chili!! While I will always love my Crock Pot Chili, I love that this Ground Turkey Chili is so fast and good for you. It’s great for meal prep for the week and freezes beautifully!
We have hit that time of year that I’m just over winter. It’s dead and cold outside and I’m ready for to be able to go outside without bundling up.
The only saving grace is that it has been the year of chili for us. I don’t know if I’ve ever made chili this often, but I’m really not complaining. There’s nothing like a warm bowl of chili on a cold night!
This Ground Turkey Chili is great for if you are working on those new year’s resolutions to eat better. You swap in ground turkey instead of beef and add lots of veggies to make this one delicious as well as good for you. This was also a perfect recipe for me to portion out and eat for lunch the next couple of days.
I have a White Turkey Chili recipe that I love, but it is best with leftover turkey. I love this recipe because it uses ground turkey which is super easy to find all year round.
How to Make It
1: Saute your onion and bell pepper until softened, then add in the garlic.
2: Add the turkey and cook until it is cooked through, breaking it up as it cooks.
3: Stir in the tomato paste.
4: Mix in the chili powder and cumin and cook for a minute.
5: Stir in the undrained tomatoes.
6: Add the drained and rinsed beans.
7: Pour in the water, along with the salt and pepper.
8: Mix everything together and allow it to cook until it is warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- You can swap in ground chicken or ground beef if you’d like.
- You want to stir the tomato paste in by itself and let it cook for a few seconds so that it doesn’t have that raw flavor.
- Add the spices next and let them cook for a minute before adding the rest of the ingredients. This lets the spices toast a bit, which brings out more flavor.
- Feel free to use whatever beans you’d like. I used cannellini this time, but have used great northern and navy beans before. It would even be delicious with pinto or black beans!
- Add more water (or beef broth for extra flavor) if you like a looser chili.
- This chili can easily be done in 30 minutes, but the flavor will intensify the longer you cook it.
- You can easily freeze this chili! Transfer cooled leftovers to a freezer safe container (I will usually use gallon sized ziplock bags) and freeze up to 6 months.
Slow Cooker Instructions
Want to let it cook low and slow? You’ll still want to saute the vegetables and cook the meat, so I would suggest making the recipe as written and then transfer the chili to your slow cooker. You can set it on low and let it cook for as long as needed. Add more water (or beef broth) if needed.
More Chili Recipes:
White Chicken Chili – if you like white chili, this one is my favorite! It’s just spicy enough and filled with flavor.
Pumpkin Chili – Slow Cooker – Perfect for cold fall and winter nights – the pumpkin adds a special richness.
Butternut Squash Chili with Beef – if you like chunks of beef, you’ll go crazy for this one. The butternut squash adds a wow factor.
Flatlander Chili – this one was the first chili recipe that I made over and over again. It has a combination of beef and sausage and is always a winner.
New Mexican Red Pork Chili – this is not your typical chili recipe! Chunks of pork are cooked in a delicious red sauce. No frills, just tons of flavor!
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Ground Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 (15-oz each) cans white beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Chili toppings, such as sour cream, avocados, etc optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.
- Add the turkey and cook, breaking it up as it cooks, until it is no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes more.
- Stir in the tomato paste until fully incorporated.
- Add the chili powder and cumin and cook for another minute.
- Add the tomatoes, beans, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 12 minutes.
- Serve topped with desired toppings.
Melanie says
Needed something quick, warm and delish tonight. Crusty bread + turkey and bean chili = perfect dinner!
Natalie says
This looks so yum!
grace says
yes, it can be 100 degrees outside and i'll still crave a massive bowl of chili. 🙂
Cookie baker Lynn says
I'm with you – chili any time of the year. With cornbread, please.
Maria says
Looks like a tasty chili recipe!
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
Surely scrumptious!
Cheers,
Rosa