Turkey Chili

This recipe is perfect for using up left-over holiday Turkey but you can also make it with cooked, ground turkey or chicken. If you are in a hurry you can make this chili on the stove top in 30 minutes. Just place the ingredients listed in step 1 into a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes until the lentils are cooked through, then follow steps 2 and 3.

This chili can be frozen and devoured at a later date. Just add a little extra water and freeze in plastic freezer containers for up to 6 months. Just a reminder this dish is only dairy-free before the optional greek yogurt/cheese are added.

Makes: 4-6 servings

Preparation time: 10m
Cooking time: 10m
Total time: 40m

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups cooked turkey (diced)
  • 1/4 cup green lentils
  • 2 (15oz) cans garbanzo beans (drained)
  • 1 garlic clove (minced)
  • 1 small shallot (diced)
  • 2 tablespoons chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • salt and white pepper (to taste)
  • 2 cups water
  • grated cheese (optional)
  • 2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • fat-free Greek yogurt (optional)
  • 4 cups hearty greens (arugula/chard/collard greens/kale/spinach/etc - these can be fresh or frozen)

Equipment: slow cooker or large saucepan

Instructions:

  1. Place the turkey, lentils, beans, tomatoes, garlic, shallot, spices (chili powder, thyme, paprika, cayenne, salt and pepper) and water into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are soft and cooked through.
  2. Just before serving stir the greens into the chili. If using frozen greens you will want to make sure they don’t cool the chili too much, just bring back to the desired temperature before serving.
  3. If you want you can serve this chili with fat-free greek yogurt and grated cheese on the side so that each person can mix in what they want.