Are you trying to eat less red meat? Try this Easy Turkey Chilli Recipe. With tender turkey mince and beans slow-cooked in a rich chilli sauce, it’s a simple recipe you’ll make again and again.
I never used to buy turkey mince, but I’ve been using it quite a lot recently. Turkey is lower in saturated fat, making it a great option if you need to make healthier choices.
As I get older, I can’t eat as much red meat as I used to, preferring to save it for a special occasion (I will never, ever stop loving a good steak dinner!)
I still make (and adore) my best beef chilli recipe, but this easy minced turkey chilli is perfect for when I want something a little bit healthier but don’t want to compromise on flavour.
It’s full of warming spices, easy to prepare and can be left to slowly blip and bubble away on the stovetop for a couple of hours.
The combination of the chilli paste and spices smells incredible. The aromas will not fail to make you ravenous.
how to make this easy turkey chilli
Please scroll to the end of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
1. Gently fry the vegetables. Gently sweat chopped onion and chopped bell peppers in a little olive oil (or vegetable/sunflower oil, since you now need to take out a small bank loan to buy a decent sized bottle of olive oil!)
2. Add the spices. Once the vegetables have softened, add crushed garlic, tomato puree, chilli paste and ground cumin, coriander, oregano, freshly ground black pepper and chilli flakes, if using. Cook for a couple of minutes to release the flavours.
3. Brown the turkey mince. Add the minced turkey, turn the heat up and brown the meat, breaking it up with a meat masher or wooden spoon.
4. Add the liquid. Once the mince has browned, stir in chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, a can of drained kidney beans and salt. Fill one of the empty cans of tomatoes 3/4 full with water and stir in.
5. Cover the pan with a lid, turn the heat down and simmer for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, or until the mince is soft and the sauce is nice and thick.
make in advance
While this turkey chilli can be made and eaten straight away, it’s perfect for making in advance. The spices in the sauce will deepen and improve if made, cooled down and refrigerated overnight.
Reheat the chilli in a saucepan on the hob until piping hot. You might need to add a splash of water if the chilli has thickened, but don’t add too much. You don’t want to make it watery.
freezing turkey chilli
Store the completely cold chilli in a freezer suitable container(s) and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge before re-heating.
sides and topping to serve with turkey chilli
The classic way to serve chilli is of course on a bed of fluffy rice, but here are a few of my favourite side dishes and toppings…
- sweet potato wedges
- baked potato
- grated cheese
- sour cream
- Guacamole, or avocado slices
- a squeeze of fresh lime juice really lifts the flavours of a chilli
- finely chopped red onion, diced tomatoes, a pinch of sugar and salt, chopped fresh coriander and a tiny bit of red wine vinegar (this makes a gorgeous quick salad I love to serve with chilli)
- Doritos (Chilli heatwave for me, please)
- Soft tortillas cut into thin strips or triangles flash fried in oil for no more than one minute until golden and crisp, then drained on kitchen paper and sprinkled with a spice mix of your choice (or just season them with crunchy sea salt flakes)
can you recommend a good chilli paste?
You can use any chilli paste you like for this recipe, but my preferred brand is Gran Luchito chipotle chilli paste. It has such a great depth of flavour – I also use it in my spicy sausage pasta and sausage and pepper traybake.
more chiili recipes to try
Easy Turkey Chilli
If you're cutting down on red meat, give this Easy Turkey Chilli Recipe a try. It's packed full of flavour and so warming. Serve with rice, crunchy tortillas, sour cream and Guacamole for a fantastic family feast.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive, vegetable or sunflower oil
- One large onion, peeled and finely diced
- One red or green pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 750g turkey mince
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chilli paste (I used Gran Luchito Chipotle paste)
- ¼ teaspoon dried ancho chilli flakes (for an extra kick, omit if you want a milder chilli)
- Two 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- One 400g tin kidney beans
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Few shakes of Tabasco sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and peppers, sprinkle over a little salt and cook for 10-12 minutes or until softened, stirring often so they don't burn.
- Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Turn the heat up to high, add the turkey mince and brown the meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or meat masher until there are no large lumps of meat.
- Add the black pepper, tomato puree, ground cumin, coriander, oregano, chilli paste and chilli flakes, if using. Cook for 2 minutes to release the flavours.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, chilli beans, salt, Worcestershire sauce and red wine vinegar. Fill one of the empty can of tomatoes 3/4 full of water and stir in. Cover with a lid and gently simmer for about 2 hours, or until the chilli is thick and the meat is tender.
- Taste the chilli to see if you want to add Tabasco, or more salt and pepper. The flavours will deepen and improve if made in advance and stored in the fridge overnight.
- Serve the chilli with rice, sweet potato wedges, sour cream, grated cheese, Nachos or Guacamole.
Notes
I used this Gran Luchito chilli paste, but any type of chilli paste works fine.
Any leftover turkey chilli should be stored in a lidded container and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
To freeze, store the completely cold chilli in a freezer suitable container(s) or thick freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost the chilli overnight in the fridge before re-heating.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 594Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 670mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 8gSugar: 23gProtein: 42g
Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.