One Pot Turkey Chili

This could possibly be one of the easiest chili recipes you’ll find. Not only is it quick to make, but clean-up is a breeze, because you make it all in one pot. For additional time savings, try to get someone else to clean up for you. Be sure to threaten to withhold chili privileges if they don’t oblige.

Early iterations of this recipe had me cooking everything separately, but I didn’t have the patience for that and you probably don’t either. That’s when I realized it would be just as flavorful if I threw everything into one pot and cooked it all together. To begin, drizzle some oil in a large pot, throw in the diced onion, red bell pepper, and zucchini, mix in the spices and sauté until the vegetables are soft. Add in the ground turkey and cook for another few minutes and then add in all the canned ingredients. Bring the whole mixture to a boil and let it simmer for two hours. 

This is also one of those kinds of chilis where it gets better the longer you let it sit, so definitely try making this a day or two before you serve it if possible. You can hide other vegetables in the chili like I did here with the zucchini, so those who aren’t too fond of vegetables will still eat it (this is one of the few ways I can convince my husband to eat vegetables without him making a funny face). Consider serving this with cornbread or pasta because the sauce is pretty rich and meaty. Enjoy!

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One Pot Turkey Chili

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lean ground turkey
• 2 cups diced onions (2 medium onions)
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and diced
• 2 medium zucchini, peeled and diced in 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• a dash of cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 2 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (28 oz) can tomato puree
• salt and pepper

Optional Toppings

• avocado, diced fresh tomatoes, shredded cheese, chips, lime, sour cream

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot over medium high heat and add 2-3 T oil or enough to evenly coat the bottom of the pot. Cook the garlic until fragrant.

2. Then add the onions, bell peppers, zucchini and all the spices (chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano and cayenne pepper). Mix until the vegetables are soft but still a bit crisp.

3. Add 1 lb of the ground turkey and stir-fry until mostly brown but with a bit of pink remaining, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 pound and stir-fry until all the meat is fully brown and cooked, about 3 minutes.

4. Next, add the dark red kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato puree and mix slowly until all ingredients are incorporated, about 3o seconds. Add salt and pepper if needed. Bring to a boil.

5. Turn the heat down to low and let it simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

6. Uncover the pot and let it simmer for an additional 1 hour.

7. Let it cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite cornbread and toppings.

Recipe Notes

Note: This is a great freezer meal. Freeze up to 1 month.

Adapted from the basic chili recipe in the Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook.