The best way to enjoy a cozy fall evening is with a warm bowl of this amazing Turkey Chili piled on top of delicious roasted sweet potatoes. This chili recipe is insanely easy to whip up, requiring just 6 ingredients, and can be on your table and in your tummy in about 40 minutes.
Growing up in the Midwest, homemade chili was a dinner staple. My dad’s chili recipe reigned supreme for potlucks, volleyball concessions, or just a quick midweek meal. His secret sauce was a packet of ranch, a can of tomatoes, and frozen corn thrown in with the other essential chili ingredients and topped with Fritos, diced onion, and cheddar cheese. Let me tell you, don’t knock it until you try it.
Then, as a college-bound semi-adult, I moved to Texas, who has a whole other approach to chili. As a surprise to no one, Texas chili is centered around the meat. Texans don’t believe in extra fluff. No tomatoes, no beans. Just meat and a thick chili paste-based sauce. And they take their craft seriously. If you’ve never been to a Texas chili cook-off, you ain’t seen or tasted nothin’ yet!
Cut to fall of 2016. I had just met my future husband and we were entering the cozy season of fall. One night, he decided to make me his mom’s chili recipe. Curious, and a self-proclaimed chili-connoisseur, I watched in dismay as he replaced the most beloved ground beef base with ground turkey and skipped the beans. I was also uncertain about the whole “put the chili on top of sweet potatoes” thing he had going on.
The Midwesterner-turned-Texan in my was silently judging his “Cali chili”. It seemed like a strange and perverse take on chili. But let me tell you, it was pretty darn delicious!
Now our new family chili recipe has morphed into a strange mishmash of my childhood chili and my husband’s turkey chili. We’ve tweaked, simplified, and perfected this turkey chili to combine lean ground turkey with garlic, onions, red kidney beans, fire roasted tomatoes, and a package of McCormick chili seasoning heaped on a fresh batch of roasted sweet potatoes.
Trust us, it is worth a try! 🙂
Turkey Chili Ingredients
- 93% lean ground turkey – for the lean meat-base of this chili.
- Yellow onion & garlic – for a little sharpness and crunch.
- McCormick low sodium chili seasoning – hands down our favorite prepackaged chili seasoning mix. It’s mild, low in salt, and has a hint of sweetness that pairs beautifully with the sweet potatoes.
- Fire roasted tomatoes – add a little sweetness and smokiness to this chili
- Red kidney beans – because chili needs beans, in my humble opinion.
- Sweet potatoes – tossed with avocado oil and seasoned with garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and salt and pepper.
- Optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado, tortilla strips, and Greek yogurt (sour cream substitute). Feel free to add Fritos (it’s a thing).
How to Make Turkey Chili
Turkey Chili
Lightly mist a Dutch oven with cooking spray or a small drizzle of olive oil and warm over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and brown about 4 to 5 minutes, breaking into smaller chunks. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook another 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
Add the chili seasoning to the pan, along with the fire roasted tomatoes and kidney beans. Be sure to include the liquid from both cans. Bring the chili to a simmer, stirring well to incorporate all of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are done roasting.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash, pat dry, and cube sweet potatoes.
Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and toss with avocado oil. Season with garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper and toss well to coat.
Spread the potatoes out on a large baking sheet. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned in spots. Be sure to flip the potatoes every 10 minutes to evenly brown and prevent burning. Remove from heat and cover with tin foil to keep warm until you are ready to serve the chili.
When you are ready to serve, divide the sweet potatoes among the bowls and top with chili, cheddar cheese, diced avocado, tortilla strips, and Greek yogurt, if desired. Enjoy!
How to Store Chili
- Refrigerate: store this turkey chili in an air-tight container or baggie for 5 days in the refrigerator (if it lasts that long!).
- Freeze: chili makes an excellent freeze-ahead meal. Transfer the chili to a gallon freezer baggie. Lay the baggie flat on a small baking sheet and freeze. Remove the baking sheet once the chili is frozen. Store the chili in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Let us know what you think about this recipe for Turkey Chili by dropping a comment and/or rating our recipe! And please consider sharing this recipe on social media or Pinterest if you enjoyed it (we really appreciate it)! 💕
Check out our other cozy fall/winter dinner recipes:
- Fall Minestrone Soup
- Chickpea Minestrone Soup
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Pumpkin Miso Ramen
- Spicy Sausage and Chickpea Soup
- Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
Turkey Chili with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Turkey Chili
- 1 lb 93% lean ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pkg. McCormick low sodium chili seasoning
- 1 16 oz can fire roasted tomatoes (plus liquid)
- 1 16 oz can red kidney beans (plus liquid)
- optional toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, diced avocado, tortilla strips, and Greek yogurt (sour cream substitute).
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
Turkey Chili
- Lightly mist a Dutch oven with cooking spray or a small drizzle of olive oil and warm over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and brown about 4 to 5 minutes, breaking into smaller chunks. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook another 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Add the chili seasoning to the pan, along with the fire roasted tomatoes and kidney beans. Be sure to include the liquid from both cans. Bring the chili to a simmer, stirring well to incorporate all of the ingredients. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are done roasting.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash, pat dry, and cube sweet potatoes. Transfer the potatoes to a large mixing bowl and toss with avocado oil. Season with garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Spread the potatoes out on a large baking sheet. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until browned in spots. Be sure to flip the potatoes every 10 minutes to evenly brown and prevent burning. Remove from heat and cover with tin foil to keep warm until you are ready to serve the chili.
- When you are ready to serve, divide the sweet potatoes among the bowls and top with chili, cheddar cheese, diced avocado, tortilla strips, and Greek yogurt, if desired. Enjoy!
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