I am one of those people that will always attempt to re-create something that I ate in a restaurant or something that someone gave me. This recipe is exactly that. My father-in-law passed away a couple of years ago and our lovely neighbors brought us a pot of this chili for comfort food. Needless to say we loved it and a week later after things settled down I was in the kitchen trying to re-create it.
Our neighbors gave us a veggie option, but I decided to add ground turkey for more protein and I added a few more cans of beans. I love beans and when I went through my vegetarian phase in my twenties I learned to add beans to my diet for fiber and protein. Granted, if you’re not a bean person you can scale back because there are a lot of other things in this that you can enjoy and obviously if you are a vegetarian you can take out the turkey and swap out the chicken stock for veggie stock.
This recipes makes a F U L L large soup pot so get ready to feed about 10-12 people or freeze it! We usually make a pot and then freeze it for easy dinners in the winter.
Here is what you need for the chili:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 sweet onion – chopped
- 3 carrots – diced
- 3 cloves of garlic – minced
- 2 celery ribs (or stems depending on what you call it) – diced
- 1 red peper – diced
- 1 yellow pepper – diced
- 1 zucchini – diced
- 1 summer squash – deseeded and diced
- 1 cup of corn (fresh or frozen)
- 1 can of black beans
- 1 can of pinto beans
- 1 can of garbanzo bean
- 1 can red kidney beans
- 1 pound of ground turkey
- 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes
- 1 large box (48 ounces) of chicken broth
- Spices: Chili powder, cumin and oregano (amounts will vary on depending on your pallet)
- Salt and pepper
Toppings and sides:
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Tortilla chips for scooping
To start, mince, chop and dice your all your veggies and set aside. Open your cans of beans and rinse off.
In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and heat on medium for a minute and add the onion. Once the onion is translucent and softened, add the carrots and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Then add the red and yellow pepper, cook for five minutes and then add garlic. Cook for another 10 minutes and stir often.
Add the ground turkey and a teaspoon of chili powder and cumin to the pot. Cook the turkey thoroughly, breaking it down into small pieces.
Once the turkey is fully cooked add the zucchini and summer squash. Cook for five minutes.
Add the two cans of crushed tomatoes, broth, corn, and beans. Stir until it’s all combined.
This is where I will let you decided on the seasoning. I like to add a lot of chili powder so I start with 2 tablespoons of chili powder, 2 tablespoons of cumin and 1 tablespoon of oregano. I also add 2 teaspoons of salt and pepper and I bring that to boil and then reduce to low heat.
I let this cook low and slow for at least an hour to develop flavor, but the longer you let it cook the better it gets. I usually test taste it about four times before I serve it and will be honest, probably add another 2-5 more tablespoons of chili powder and cumin to it. Again, I like a lot flavor, but will let you decided where your taste buds lie – but will encourage you to taste it as it cooks to get it how you want it. Also, if it gets too thick for your liking, add a little more stock to it.
When you’re ready to serve, ladle into bowls, dice an avocado and top the chili with it, cheddar and sour cream and don’t forget the tortilla chips for scooping!
