Healthy turkey chili is made with sweet potato and no beans so that it's Paleo and Whole30 friendly. Lean ground turkey is simmered with onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and some pantry staples to make a quick and easy weeknight dinner (or meal prep!)
❓FAQ
There's no quick answer to this one! If you're making either chili at home, the answer is no. Most chilis are reasonably healthy depending on how lean the meat is.
When you make it at home, you have total control over how healthy your chilis are. If you want a good example of a beef chili (with beans) that is made leaner, check out my healthy beef and bean chili.
If you're eating out, I would say ordering turkey chili is probably going to have fewer calories than most beef chili (but not all).
Yes! This turkey chili, in particular, covers a wide range of diets that it fits into: Whole30, Paleo, Low Calorie, and High Protein.
🥘 Ingredients and Substitutions
- Olive oil - any cooking fat will work here
- Onion
- Bell pepper - a couple of jalapeños or hatch chilis work well too
- Garlic - substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder if you're out of fresh
- Lean Ground Turkey - I used 93% lean, but you can go as low as 85% (although you may need to drain any excess grease after browning). You can also substitute any ground meat you have on hand.
- Crushed tomatoes (undrained) - if you want to add some extra smokiness, grab fire-roasted, it's delicious!
- Chicken broth - veggie and beef work great too
- Sweet potato - because we're making this chili without beans, sweet potato is great stand in for extra texture and flavor. Butternut squash and pumpkin work well too.
- Chili Powder - If you want a super-spicy chili, try using chipotle chili pepper.
- Sea salt
- Dried basil leaves - finely minced fresh also works, but go with about 1 tablespoon
- Cinnamon (optional) - a great secret ingredient to chili that I love to add an little extra smoke and sweetness.
- Honey (omit for Whole 30) - the honey cuts down on the acidity of the tomatoes, however it can be easily omitted for Whole30.
Healthy Chili Toppings:
We all know how good corn bread, cheese, and a dollop of sour cream can be on top of chili, but what about some Paleo or Whole30 options? How about these:
- sliced green onions
- avocado chunks
- chopped cilantro
📋 How to Make it From Scratch
Step 1: Sauté the veggies. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or dutch oven (just make sure you have a lid that goes with whatever pot you choose).
Add one chopped onion and one chopped bell pepper to the heated oil and sauté for about 5 minutes to caramelize the veggies. Next add the garlic and stir for about 30-60 seconds or until it becomes fragrant.
Step 2: Brown the turkey. Add the turkey to the vegetable mixture with the heat remaining on medium. Break the turkey into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon.
Continue stirring the mixture every couple minutes to turn the pieces and break them down into even smaller pieces until there is no longer any pink.
Step 3: Add remaining ingredients. Add a 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes (not drained), 1 ½ cups of chicken broth, 12 ounces of peeled sweet potato, cut into ½-inch to 1-inch cubes, 1 tablespoon of chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoons of sea salt, ½ teaspoon of dried basil, and 1 teaspoon of paprika.
Stir everything together, increase the temperature to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 4: Simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low (or a low simmer), cover the pot and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes or until the consistency is just how you like it and the potatoes are fork-tender.
⏲ Cooking Time and Temperature
Once you've brought all of your no-bean chili ingredients to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low (or a low simmer), cover the pot and continue simmering for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes or until the consistency is just how you like it and the potatoes are fork-tender.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Some of my favorite ways to serve Sweet Potato Turkey Chili:
- With a big wedge of Gluten-Free Skillet Jalapeno Cornbread
- All by itself with avocado slices and green onions
- Over egg noodles
- Veggie noodles: spoon it over spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles
- On top of rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice
- Don't forget breakfast! I love it by itself with a poached egg on top.
🥣 Storage and Freezing
Store chili in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days (perfect for meal prep!). I would suggest glass containers if you have them, as anything tomato based can stain certain plastic containers.
Freeze chili for up to 3 months in a freezer gallon bag or a large, freezer-friendly container.
To thaw, simply transfer the chili to fridge about 24 hours before serving.
To reheat, transfer the chili to a large pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
📖 Recipe
Healthy Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion (diced)
- 1 bell pepper (diced)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 ½ - 2 pounds 93% Lean Ground Turkey
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes (undrained)
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 12 ounces sweet potato (peeled and cut into ½-1 inch pieces)
- 1 Tablespoon chili Powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon honey (omit for Whole 30)
Optional Toppings:
- sliced green onions
- avocado chunks
- chopped cilantro
Instructions
- SAUTE THE PEPPERS AND ONIONS: Heat the oil in a large pot (with a lid) over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes over medium heat, or until the onions are soft and have golden brown edges. Add the garlic and stir for 30-60 seconds.
- BROWN THE TURKEY: Add the turkey to the pan. Break up the meat and continue to cook over medium heat until the turkey is fully cooked through and no pink remains.
- ADD THE REMAINING INGREDIENTS: Add the tomatoes, broth, sweet potatoes, chili powder, paprika, salt, basil, honey, and cinnamon to the meat mixture. Stir everything together and bring to a boil.
- SIMMER: Reduce the heat to medium-low or to a setting that has the chili at a low simmer, cover and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and bring the heat back up to a rapid simmer (medium heat for me) and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- SERVE: Let the chili cool for about 10 minutes. Top with avocado, onions, or cilantro. Enjoy!
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Nutrition
RECIPE EQUIPMENT
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