Ground Turkey and Chick Peas for a Delicious Winter Chili
Cold weather and winter months always put me in the mood to cook chilis and soups. There’s just something warming and soothing about a big bowl of chili after coming in from cold weather outside, or while watching the football playoffs on TV.
Everyone has their own recipes for chili – I know I have quite a few – but this is one I really enjoy making when I want something healthy and satisfying. Lean ground turkey meat is combined with chick peas, corn and other fresh vegetables for a nutritious and satisfying meal that’s easy to prepare as well.
This is a great recipe to prepare using up pantry staple ingredients like canned chick peas and corn, along with basic fresh vegetables available year-round. Ground turkey meat is lean, healthy and often very inexpensive – you could also make this recipe with leftover turkey meat from a holiday meal to spice things up and use those leftovers in a creative way.
You can, of course, easily adjust the spiciness of this dish to suit your tastes. Use more or less peppers, add a little hot sauce…or serve it with some fresh made salsa on the side along or chopped jalapenos so everyone can have their chili just the way they like it.
Turkey and Chick Pea Chili
- Prep time: 15 min
- Cook time: 25 min
- Ready in: 40 min
- Yields: 5
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 carrots – chopped
- 1 medium onion – chopped
- 1 sweet bell pepper (yellow orange or red) – chopped
- 1 cubanelle pepper – chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper – seeded and finely chopped
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup fresh or canned chopped tomatoes
- 2 cups canned chick peas – drained and rinsed
- 1 cup canned corn – drained
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro – chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare all ingredients by chopping vegetables and draining/rinsing corn and chick peas, as listed above.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet, then add ground turkey, onion, carrot, chili powder and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until the turkey is browned. Drain off any excess fat.
Add peppers and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
Add all remaining ingredients except the cilantro and stir to mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for another 15 minutes.
Add salt and adjust other seasonings to taste.
Serve in bowls topped with the fresh cilantro. Accompany chili with shredded cheese, hot sauce, salsa and chips to your taste.
Enjoy!