Packed full of hearty, nutritious ingredients this clean eating Turkey Quinoa Chili will fill you up without weighing you down. Garnish to your heart’s content with goodies like avocado, jalapeño and green onion!
Turkey Quinoa Chili – a Healthy Chili Recipe
Oh, chili, how I love thee!! Seriously, this chicka could go for a bowl of chili any day of the week, but especially now as it’s starting to get cold here in Newfoundland. I love when it’s so thick the spoon stands up, ya know? Nice and hearty! I enjoy all varieties of chili, but a particular fave is this turkey chili recipe. Not only does it taste delicious, but it’s also clean eating. What makes this chili so great?
- lean turkey
- fibre rich black beans
- protein & fibre packed quinoa (which also happens to be gluten free)
- vitamin packed sweet potato and bell peppers, especially vitamin c (good for this time of year for sure)
- it’s straight up delish!
Can you freeze this turkey quinoa chili? Yep! I love making a big batch of this (even doubling) and freezing for easy weekday dinners. If you meal prep on Sunday for the week ahead, this is a delicious recipe to add into the rotation. To freeze simply place (cooled) chili into a vacuum seal bag, seal, place on a baking sheet, press flat and toss in the freezer. Thaw when ready to enjoy! So for busy weekdays all you have to do is throw into a pot to warm and prep some garnish. Easy peasy!
What to Serve with Chili? How to Garnish Chili?
I love chili as is, but if you really want to amp up your dinner a piece of cornbread for dunkin’ or a side salad would be awesome. This turkey chili also makes for some extra special nachos for weekend eats! To garnish, I love –
- avocado
- green onion
- slices of hot pepper
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- cilantro
- shredded cheddar cheese
Tips for Making this Turkey Quinoa Chili
- Use ‘unsalted’ chicken stock to control the salt content.
- If you can, use ‘no salt added’ black beans. If not, that’s ok (but always rinse and drain whatever you use).
- Enjoy things a little spicier? Add more chipotle peppers or some cayenne. If you are so inclined, my friend, Kevin, of Kevin is Cooking has a great recipe for making your own chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.
- Don’t have chipotle peppers on hand? Sub with 2 teaspoons (or to taste) of smoked paprika.
- I love chili thick (and this one is). If you like things a little looser, add a little more stock.
- This recipe calls for 1 cup of cooked quinoa. Before cooking, that’s about 1/3 cup of raw.
- Not a fan of ground turkey? Ground chicken would work lovely instead!
Other Easy Family Recipes you May Enjoy
Hope you love this turkey quinoa chili as much as I do!
Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon 🙂
~Dawn
P.S. If you think this healthy chili recipe will make your belly happy too, please be sure to Pin for later. Many thanks, you guys! XO
Healthy Turkey Quinoa Chili
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa -about 1/3 cup before cooking
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion -chopped
- 3 cloves garlic -minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp salt -or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 chipotle peppers (in adobo sauce) -minced or 2 tsp of smoked paprika
- 796 ml can whole tomatoes -blitzed until smooth
- 2-3 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 2 bell peppers -cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 sweet potato -cut into small cubes
- 19 oz can black beans -rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn
Instructions
- Cook quinoa per package instructions and lay to one side.
- Meanwhile in a dutch oven on medium heat add olive oil. Cook onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add turkey, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and chipotle peppers, Break up turkey with a wooden spoon and stir to combine. Cook 5 minutes.
- Stir in canned tomatoes and stock (start with 2 cups). Add bell peppers. Bring to simmer and cook uncovered (or cover ajar) for 15 minutes.
- Add sweet potato and black beans and cook 15-20 minutes uncovered (or cover ajar) and until sweet potato is tender.
- Add corn and cooked quinoa. Stir to combine and cook 2 -3 minutes. Add additional cup of stock, if desired, if you want it to be looser. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use 'unsalted' chicken stock to control the salt content.
- If you can, use 'no salt added' black beans. If not, that's ok (but always rinse and drain whatever you use).
- Enjoy things a little spicier? Add more chipotle peppers or some cayenne. If you are so inclined, my friend, Kevin, of Kevin is Cooking has a great recipe for making your own chipotle peppers and adobo sauce.
- Don't have chipotle peppers on hand? Sub with 2 teaspoons (or to taste) of smoked paprika.
- I love chili thick (and this one is). If you like things a little looser, add a little more stock.
- This recipe calls for 1 cup of cooked quinoa. Before cooking, that's about 1/3 cup of raw.
- Not a fan of ground turkey? Ground chicken would work lovely instead!
Girl this looks incredible! I absolutely love quinoa in chili, it adds the greatest texture, and the idea of pairing it with turkey sounds SO delicious. Making this on a cold day ASAP!
I’m a huge fan of chipotle, so this chili definitely needs to go on the list! I don’t know what it is, but chipotle flavors just go so well in soups/stews/chilis. Perfect for cold winter days! And I hear ya on wanting that spoon to stand up straight in the bowl…that’s how I like my chili, too!
Same here! Love it! And you can’t go wrong with hearty chili on a cold day 🙂
This recipe has so many things going for it – healthy, full of flavour and I love that you can freeze it as well. Those are my favourite recipes 🙂 A little bit of spice is great for this time of the year, warming you up from inside out. I hope you are having a wonderful weekend, Dawn ♡
So true! Thanks Miriam! Hope you had a lovely weekend too 🙂
Literally just made a shopping list to make this, Dawn! LOVE everything about it!! It’s exactly the kind of meal I’m craving right now!
Yay! Hope you love it, Marissa 🙂 Thanks so much!
Loving this chili! Delicious with lots of goodness, too 🙂
Thanks so much Jennifer 🙂
I love putting quinoa in my chili! More protein! This looks like the perfect bowl of goodness for a fall evening.
Totally! Thanks Karen 🙂
Dawn, you have so much yummy in this chili! I’ve made a big pot of chili two weeks in a row and have eaten it every day for lunch. It’s so healthy and so satisfying. I love how you added sweet potato and corn! The sweet must make a lovely contrast to the spicy and smoky peppers. I’ll have to give the quinoa a try. It looks like it makes the chili nice and thick.
Thanks Kelly! The quinoa really does make the chili nice and thick – super hearty for a cold day 🙂
This looks so totally delicious Dawn! So perfect for the winter season ahead. And I love that it’s healthier than the regular chili. I’ll be trying this soon!
Thanks Mary Ann! Enjoy 🙂
It’s finally getting (sort of ) cold here and I’m craving comfort foods–this sounds perfect. I love the addition of quinoa! And I love all your garnish suggestions; any time a dish calls for garnishes like avocado and jalapeños you can be sure my bowl will be filled with mostly garnish and just a little of the actual food :). Have a great weekend, Dawn!
Lol! Love garnish too! Thanks Kelsie 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend too!
I love my chili thick too Dawn! And a clean eating chili recipe is just my thing! I really enjoy the thickness that quinoa adds to this recipe and the sweet potato is a nice touch. We are definitely going to need all the warm, comfort food this fall in Newfoundland!
This looks delish Dawn and thanks for the mention here my dear! Been loving the comfort food soups, stews and chili season lately. 🙂
Thanks Kevin! It was my pleasure! Love all kinds of comfort food this time of year 🙂