Every once in a while, I make a very good chili with ground sirloin. However this time, in keeping with my healthy eating theme (which lasted barely a week), I decided to make a Surprisingly Delicious Turkey Chili. It was so good that if I didn’t tell my family it was turkey, they could have easily been fooled.

Serves: 4 -6 as a main meal, or 8 – 10 as a side dish
Degree of difficulty: Easy –  This recipe can easily be divided in half.

Ingredients:

• 2- 20 oz ground turkey
• 2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 tsp. chili powder
• 1.5 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• Salt & black pepper to taste
• 1.5 cup low-sodium chicken broth *
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• Hot sauce to taste *
• garlic powder, a sprinkle *
• Grated cheddar cheese
• Dollop of sour cream
• flat-leave parsley for garnish

Preparation:

1)  In a medium size pot, over medium high heat, heat olive oil, sweat the onions and peppers, for 2-3 minutes. Add tomato paste, and brown it while stirring.  Add ground turkey, brown for 5-10 minutes by stirring occasionally. DO NOT TASTE IT YET!!  TURKEY IS STILL RAW AT THIS POINT.

2) Add all your seasonings, cumin, cayenne pepper, chili powder, salt, black pepper, stir well.

3) Add the beans, broth, tomatoes, bring to a boil, then, lower the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking on the bottom of the pot. At this point, go ahead and give it a taste, and adjust seasonings if necessary. Toward the end, add your hot sauce. If chili is too thin, uncover, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. This will allow the chili to evaporate a little and become thicker in consistency. The entire cooking time should take about 1 hour or so.

Place in a bowl, garnish with grated cheese, parsley and a dollop of sour cream.

I hope you will make this wonderful chili for your family, because it is very hearty and healthy.  They will enjoy it, I promise you.  You can eat it by itself, or as a side dish. Of course, my family was looking for the hot dog, and I kindly responded, not this time!

*Chicken broth, hot sauce, garlic powder are NOT featured in the picture, but they are part of the recipe.

Your meal will always taste better if you cook with passion. Don’t look at it as a chore, I know it’s not easy, especially after a long day’s work.  If you’re not up to cooking, stay away from the kitchen and order out. (It doesn’t have to be expensive)  Another option, is to make the chili ahead of time, it will taste better the next day.

Happy Cooking from My Kitchen To Yours!