Ultimate Turkey Chili

Chili’s great. This was my first time actually making it but having eaten it plenty of times, I pretty much got the basic idea of throwing a bunch of delicious (and often spicy) things in a pot and seeing what happens. Josh and I used turkey for a leaner and still very delicious alternative and threw in some other good stuff (plenty of spices, quinoa, kidney beans). This chili was really easy to throw together and I’m really happy with how it turned out. Lots of good stuff. Lots of sustenance. Great chili.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground turkey 
• 1.5 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 bell pepper (mix and match…we used half green and half red)
• 1 jalapeño pepper
• 3 cups kidney beans (prepared/canned)
• 1.5 cup quinoa
• 2.5 cups water
• 27 oz can (800 ml) canned diced tomatoes
• 1 veggie bouillon cube
• 3-5 bay leaves
• paprika, cumin, chili, cayenne, salt, pepper (and TJ’s south african smoke if you have it!)

Prep time: 1 hour (maybe a bit more) Serves: 4-6

Drop the ground turkey in the bottom of a large pot. Let it cook for about 5-7 minutes and most of the meat should be cooked. Add the chopped onions and garlic and let them sizzle along with the meat for another few minutes. Add the chopped bell and jalapeño peppers and let them sauté for a few minutes.

At some point also add in the first round of spices. A bit of salt and pepper, 1-2 teaspoons of cumin and cayenne and 2-3 teaspoons each of chili and paprika. Let the veggies and meat sizzle for another minute or two and then add the diced tomatoes. 1 or 2 minutes later add 2.5 cups of water and 1.5 cups uncooked quinoa. Also add the veggie bouillon and bay leaves. Also add your kidney beans. I had already soaked them (overnight) and boiled them (for about an hour) but you could always save a few steps by just using canned beans.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Take it down a few notches and let it simmer for about 35-45 minutes (the main thing is the quinoa being fully cooked but letting it simmer won’t hurt the flavor by any means). Now, try the chili. You might want to add a bit of salt and pepper, and if you’re craving more spice, a few more sprinkles of chili/paprika.

That’s it! Throw it in a bowl, top it with sour cream or cheese (barring any dairy allergies), dip some chips in it, and enjoy this easy and filling meal.

Chili dinner time selfie