September 25, 2011 // By : amybites // Tags: , , , , ,

I’ve been making this chili regularly for almost three years now. It’s absolutely my favorite chili recipe, and it’s made infinitely better since it’s a super easy slow cooker recipe and it uses lean ground turkey instead of beef. I actually posted a version of this recipe on the old version of my blog a couple years ago, but there are several recipes, including this one, that deserve an encore (and an update).
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I use my slow cooker year round, but fall is definitely slow cooker chili season. I love this recipe because I can have my boyfriend throw all the ingredients in the Crock Pot during the day and come home to a complete meal—or finish it off with a side dish such as the jalapeño corn muffins I’ll be posting next!
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The thing that really makes this chili my favorite chili is the consistency—it’s extra chunky and hearty. Runny chili has no seat at my table! It’s mildly spicy, but you can adjust the spice level to your tastes easily with more or less chili powder, or by adding in some hot sauce.
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This is a meal that I will happily be making all winter long, and I’m sure you will too. It’s healthy, hearty, easy, and darn tasty. By the way, if you don’t have a slow cooker, you can make this on the stovetop as well. Either way, it’s delicious.

Another awesome trait of this recipe is that there’s actually not a whole lot of ingredients compared to some laundry-list-style chili recipes. All you need is extra-lean ground turkey, reduced sodium kidney beans, tomatoes with green chiles, tomato paste, garlic, red bell pepper, onion, chili powder, and cumin—plus a pinch of salt and sugar. (Oh, and thanks to my sous chef for prepping & photographing this section!)

Chop your bell pepper, onion, and garlic.

Combine your sugar, salt, cumin, and chili powder.

Brown your turkey, breaking it up into large pieces. Then stir in your chopped veggies and spices and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the onion is tender.

Place the mixture in your slow cooker.

Stir in your tomatoes…

…kidney beans…

…and tomato paste.

Now cover and set the slow cooker to low for 4 hours. Easy as pie!

Top it off with some shredded cheese and green onions, and corn muffins or tortilla chips for dunking.

Look for the recipe for these corn muffins next time! Also super easy and perfect with this chili.

Mmmm. Can we just stop to appreciate the beauty for a moment? There’s not much more to say, except that you should make some chili this week.

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Slow Cooker Chili
Serves 4 – 6
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  • 1 lb. 99% fat free ground turkey
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon  sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, undrained
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can Mexican-style stewed tomatoes with jalapeño peppers and spices, undrained
  • 6 oz. tomato paste
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Cook the turkey in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until brown, stirring to crumble. Add chopped onion and the next 6 ingredients (onion through garlic), and cook for 5 – 7 minutes or until onion is tender. Place meat mixture in an electric slow cooker, and stir in beans, tomatoes, and tomato paste.
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Cover with lid, and cook on low-heat setting for 4 hours. Spoon into bowls; sprinkle with cheese and other toppings of your choice.
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Note: The chili can be made on the stovetop if you don’t have a slow cooker. After adding the beans and the tomatoes, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, partially covered, 1 1/2 hours.

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Nutrition Facts
Per serving, based on 5 servings

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Calories: 221
Fat: 1.9g
Cholesterol: 40 mg
Protein: 26.6g
Carbohydrate: 26.1g
Fiber: 8.1g
Sugar: 6.7g