There may not be an easier way to lighten and help the nutrition of a meat dish than substituting in turkey. Turkey is leaner, healthier, and just as protein-rich as red meat like beef. Turkey, in addition to being a great, healthy protein source, is also a great vehicle for bold flavors and spices.
The one knock you will usually see with turkey is that is can sometimes be quick to dry out. However, that isn’t a problem when you use turkey in a hearty pot of chili! Whether you are making traditional chili with a tomato-based sauce or a chicken stock base white chili, turkey will be kept nice and moist, as well as soak up all those great flavors!
That is why whenever we look to whip up a healthier pot of chili with our Randall Beans great northern beans, we turn to turkey. Especially during the fall and winter months when it is easy to put on a few extra pounds, every little smart food choice can help.
This recipe at its core is a very traditional tomato base chili recipe but makes a couple small, slightly healthier changes to make this a perfect fall or winter chili recipe for making healthier decisions.
Apart from using turkey, this recipe calls specifically for de-fatted condensed chicken broth to help cut down on fat and sodium, as well as using V-8 juice for a tomato juice option to bolster the flavors with plenty of vitamins to back it up.
This recipe will make 14-16 servings, so adjust accordingly or just enjoy plenty of leftovers throughout the week!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped green pepper
- 4 Tbsp. chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 2 lbs. ground turkey
- 2 cups V-8 juice
- 2 8oz. cans tomato sauce
- 2 10oz. cans de-fatted condensed chicken broth
- 1 48oz. jar Randall Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add onion, green pepper, chili powder, oregano and cayenne pepper. Cover, cook over medium heat 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in turkey and cook over medium heat until cooked through. Add V-8 juice, tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Blend in Randall Beans and cook 10-15 minutes longer.
- Keep over low heat to allow flavors to develop until serving.
Hungry for more? Now is the perfect time of year for chili, and there is no better collection of chili recipes than our Ultimate Guide to Chili! Each recipe provides a delicious classic or unique take on chili using all kinds of variety Randall Beans. Grab your copy here.
