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!
Healthy White Bean Chili
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
- 4 1/2 cups 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.
