I'm in desperate need of a trip to the grocery store, so I had to find something to make for dinner with what I already had in the house. Turns out, lean ground turkey was on sale last week, so I got two packages. I had everything else I needed to make chili, so it was perfect! Plus, it's getting cooler outside and it was Monday. What's better than curling up on the couch with a nice spicy bowl of chili and watching Monday Night Football? Not much right now in my world :-). This is a one-pot, less than 30 minute recipe that you can whip together when you're short on time and ingredients. Here's how I made it:

What you need:

EVOO

One medium chopped red onion

One package of lean (I used 93/7) ground turkey

One can chili beans

One large can or two regular sized cans of crushed or diced tomatoes

Two small cans or one regular sized can of tomato sauce

One can tomato paste (optional as to how much of it, if any, you use)

One and a half packets of Hot Chili seasoning

One teaspoon chocolate powder

Extra cumin and chili powder to taste

Salt and pepper

First, warm up a large pot and sauté the onion in a little bit of EVOO. After about 5 minutes, drizzle a little bit more EVOO in the pan and add the ground turkey.

Sauté until fully cooked, then drain off fat if desired.

Add salt, pepper, and chili seasoning to turkey, and stir until evenly coated.

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until uniform.

I originally added just one packet of seasoning with some extra cumin and chili powder. When I tasted it, it wasn't spicy enough. It tasted very mild in spice and in flavor, so I added a second packet. When I had it for dinner, it was a little on the pungent side, so I would recommend one and a half packets. Add cumin and chili powder if you feel you need to. I am probably going to add a small can of tomato sauce to my leftovers before I eat it again to settle it down. It was still great, though! As far as tomato paste goes, I usually don't use it in my chili, but decided to experiment with it since I had it. It makes the sauce richer and a bit thicker. I didn't mind it, but am not sure I'll use a whole can next time.

You can let it simmer as long as you want to before serving. I simmered mine for about 30 minutes while I got some other things done. It really just needs to heat through.

I topped mine with some 2% shredded cheddar cheese. If you want a really badass bowl of chili, though, get some Fritos. Line the bottom of your bowl with a layer of them, top with chili, then top the chili with cheese. Warm it up if it's cold, then stir and it's perfect! My Mom and Dad always make their chili like that, and it's my absolute favorite way to fix it! Fritos are gluten free, as well! I never paid attention to that little detail until now.

How do you make your chili?

Do you have a “secret” ingredient? Please share!!

Is it feeling like fall where you live yet?

Leave a comment below 🙂

Happy Trails!

Stacey