Here is a great way to use turkey leftovers – a turkey chili recipe.
This is a very healthy chili recipe that uses leftover turkey or (chicken of course). It’s a great way to use up leftovers from a holiday or any day roasted turkey or chicken and it’s healthy too. Can’t beat that.
I love easy dinner recipes, and if they are healthy dinner recipes all the better. This one is. I think you will like it. Add hot sauce or more crushed peppers if you really like it spicy.
This recipe can easily be multiplied to feed a crowd. Great for football parties and casual get togethers.
I used to serve chili over hot mashed potatoes until I discovered quinoa. Quinoa is so healthy, naturally low in fat and higher in protein than grains. You can also serve the chili over cooked couscous. Or just serve it with pieces of fresh crusty bread.
This is a very healthy recipe. The meat is lean and there are lots of vegetables to add color and nutrition. Turkey is actually one of our list of 10 healthiest foods. Learn more healthy turkey facts here.
Spicy Turkey Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 red pepper, medium size, diced
- 1 onion, small, diced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder, or to your taste
- 1 can tomatoes, 14 1/2 - 16 ounces
- 1 can black beans, 15 - 19 ounces
- 2 1/2 cups turkey, cooked, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or more to your taste
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, or cheddar cheese, shredded for serving
Instructions
- About 45 minutes before serving, heat a large skillet to medium high heat.
- Cook the red or pepper, celery, carrots and onion until tender in hot oil, stirring occasionally (about 7 or 8 minutes). Stir in the chili powder and cook 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes including the liquid, black beans, turkey, salt, crushed red pepper and 1/2 cup water. Bring it all to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes to blend the flavors, stirring occasionally.
- Check for seasoning before serving and add more salt, pepper or hot pepper if you prefer.
- Serve in soup bowls with shredded cheese or over hot quinoa.
Notes
Variations:
- Want it spicier? Add as much of your favorite hot sauce as you would like.
- Add more color to your chili by adding 1/2 cup of corn niblets to the chili recipe.
- You can certainly use the traditional kidney beans in this recipe instead of black beans. Pinto beans would work well too.
- You can replace the cooked turkey or chicken with ground chicken or turkey. Cook it with the vegetables and add the chili powder. Then follow the recipe as it shows above.
Nutrition
Makes 8 main dish servings.
Note: Today’s industrial agricultural practices don’t always yield the most nutritious birds. Giving chickens and turkeys antibiotics on a regular basis is one of the things that is causing antibiotic resistance in humans. If you can find (and afford of course) pastured chickens and turkeys, eating them provides us with many more health benefits and eating birds raised in confinement. If possible, buy truly free range chickens and turkeys.
I have included this recipe in our diabetic recipes section, even though it has quite a few carbs. The net carbs (amount of carbohydrates per serving minus the fiber) per serving equals 35, not bad for a whole meal. If you are on a very low carb diet, this recipe is not for you. Also, if you are diabetic and very sensitive to the effect of carbs, you may want to omit the beans. They contribute almost all the carbs in this recipe. That said, it is a pretty healthy diabetic diet meal.
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