Turkey Chili Mole

Time to get “crock” ing and enjoy a warm bowl of chili!

By: Jodie Shield, RD

Brrrrrr!  It’s cold or should I say chili?  Time to fire up your crock pot and cozy up to a flavor-packed bowl of thick and rich chili. My inspiration for this recipe came from the Chicago Tribune’s Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili.  They made it on the stove, but I decided to toss everything into a crock pot.  Holy mole!  So easy, and the heart-healthy dark chocolate made this Mexican dish divine.   But I did have to tweak the original recipe to make it crock-pot friendly.  For starters, I used lean ground turkey breast rather than fatty dark meat turkey.  Then, I cut way back on the chili powder and added all of the spices during the last hour of cooking to maximize flavor.  Since liquids don’t evaporate in the crock pot, I cut the liquid ingredients in half.  Feel free to cook your chili based on your time frame.   As a rule of thumb: one hour on the high setting equals 2 hours on the low setting.  Here are two more super easy and healthy crock pot chili recipes you’re going to love: Three Bean Chili and Super Bowl Chili. Serve them with a side of guacamole and wash everything down with a margarita – ole!

Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili

12 Servings

Prep Time = 20 minutes

Cooking Time = 4 – 8 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast.
• 3 cups finely chopped yellow onion (2 large onions)
• 4 garlic cloves, mined
• 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (12 ounce) can beer
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 ounce grated unsweetened chocolate (1/2 square)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large 13-inch skillet.  Add ground turkey breast and cook over medium-high heat until well browned, about 5-7 minutes.  Transfer cooked turkey to slow cooker.
2. Add onion, garlic, pinto beans, crushed tomatoes and beer to an 8-quart slow cooker.  Cook chili on low heat for 8 hours; high heat 4 hours.
3. During last hour of cooking add: oregano, cinnamon,  coriander, chili powder, and unsweetened chocolate; stir until combined and continue cooking.

Nutritional Information per 1 cup serving: 247 calories, 30 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 38 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams fiber, 316 milligrams sodium

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