Hello Lovies! So, who out there likes chili?  Who loves chili?  Who gets upset when you spell chili with one L instead of two or vice versa?  Who out there is a chili purest?  Everyone has opinions about chili! But some people are downright indignant if you stray from their preferred recipe for chili.  They are probably the same folks that are adamant about chocolate chip cookies.  If you are one of those people you should probably not read any farther. This recipe might upset you greatly. However, if you are an open-minded individual who just loves to eat yummy food no matter what the name, then please continue. Actually I would like for everyone to continue reading anyway. I promise you won’t regret it. 

I like chili. I am not a huge fan of chili who will eat it at every possible opportunity. I would never order it in a restaurant because there are always so many other options to choose. I do enjoy going to a chili cookoff and trying all the different types. This particular recipe is called Turkey Kind-Of Chili. This is my slightly tweaked version of a Rachel Ray recipe that I found years and years ago. I love this dish. My kids love this dish. Would I expect you to taste this and say, “Hey, this is chili.”? No, I would not. I would hope that you would make some noises of pure enjoyment and ask for more though.   

Why do I say that this doesn’t seem like chili? Well, there are no beans or chili powder for one thing. And it is made with turkey for another. So, why should chili lovers (and non-lovers) try it?  Because it is freaking delicious! 

This super comforting dish is made with ground turkey and very finely diced veggies with wonderful warming spices and a tomato base.  Add a dollop of sour cream and a corn muffin topper and you have the perfect tummy pleasing meal.  Don’t worry. I am going to tell you how to make the corn muffin toppers too.   

To concoct this beautiful pot of yum you will need extra virgin olive oil, unsalted butter, ground turkey, minced garlic, celery, carrots, onions, a fresh jalapeno, salt and pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, your favorite beer, hot sauce, and canned tomato sauce. Amounts for everything will be in the recipe that follows.

To make the mug toppers you will need Jiffy corn muffin mix, milk, eggs, shredded Colby Jack cheese and dry minced onion plus some butter for the griddle or skillet.

Well, here we are.  I was wishing for Spring.  Spring has come.  My one complaint right now is that we aren’t having spring-like weather consistently.   One day it will be 80 degrees and the next (today for example) it will be in the 50’s and raining.  I know, I know.  I live in Illinois so what should I expect, right?  You just can’t please me sometimes.  And, we are all sheltering-in-place here in Illinois so we can’t really go anywhere or do anything that feels like Spring. We can’t gather with family and friends.  The world just sucks right now.  But, we still have to eat so I am still cooking and baking.  

I thought that working from home would afford me more time to write up blog posts but that has not been the case.  I keep finding little and big projects that have been ignored for way too long that take up my extra time.  I have also been attempting to avoid gaining weight during this crisis.  I have not been successful though.  Hmmm.  Seems like I have more than that one complaint, after all.  Oh well.  

I promised that I would share my favorite turkey burger recipe and I am going to keep my promise.  Maybe you will be lucky enough to cook these burgers and eat them on your deck or porch during a nice warm evening. My family has developed an affection for turkey burgers.  10 years ago I never would have thought of feeding my boys anything but big old beef burgers.  But, they really like turkey burgers…as long as they are not dry.  That is the trick to good turkey burgers…they need to be juicy.  I have tried several recipes and this is my favorite.  I think that these moist and tender burgers are so good because of the ingredients and the method.  Now, I use Greek seasoning for these because I love the flavor but you can use any spice blend that you love.  A few years ago my younger son, Alex, got me started using Greek seasoning and I have decided that it is incredibly versatile.  I especially like to use it with poultry.  The mild flavor of the meat lends itself so nicely to this seasoning.  Anyway, you do you and choose your own spice blend or give my favorite a try.  You won’t be disappointed.  These turkey burgers are a flavorful, tender, juicy and healthier option for burger night.  The spice blend can be adjusted to make them your own.

Now, I know that if you are trying to be uber healthy you will want to use the ground turkey that has the least amount of fat.  I am all about flavor though so I use the 85% -15% blend.  It is juicier and usually a little less expensive.  I like to get the big old 3 pound roll of ground turkey.  You can use most of it for this recipe and save the rest for the freezer.  

I made 6 burgers this time so these measurements are for a family meal.  You can halve these amounts if you don’t need that many.  So, for 6  burgers you will need 2 pounds of ground turkey.  I know that seems like a lot but one thing to remember is turkey burgers do shrink considerably when cooking.  You will also need one sweet onion, minced.  I used a smaller one because I didn’t want the onion flavor to overpower the turkey.  I also put mine in the food processor to grind it up pretty fine.  You will need ⅔ cups (at least) Panko bread crumbs.  If your burgers don’t hold together you can add another ¼ cup.  You will need a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of black pepper.  You will need about 1 Tablespoon of Greek seasoning, more or less.  I might add a bit more sometimes.  Give the spice blend a taste and see how strong it is before you add it to the meat.  The only other thing you will need is a bit of vegetable oil for the skillet.  I needed about ¼ cup because I was using a very large skillet.  You just need enough to coat the bottom of your skillet.  

Hi All!  Cold enough for you?  In my neck of the woods, the mercury has certainly spent a lot of time below freezing lately.  I am not a huge fan of the cold weather. I mean, it is nice to have a snowfall once in a while (as long as I don’t have to drive in it) and a little nip in the air is great during the holidays.  And, I must admit that I do love the change in the seasons when it comes to cooking and baking. I adore making soups and casseroles and there is nothing quite like baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies on a cold day.  Lately, I have been on a chili kick which is kind of weird for me. I have never been a lover of plain old traditional chili, but it is growing on me. I do really enjoy making and trying different types of chili with funky ingredients.  I have a turkey chili recipe that I absolutely love but it is far from traditional. The Green Bean Chili recipe that I want to share with you today is actually a variation of the Weight Watchers Chili from back in the day.

This recipe first came to me from family members.  I used to work at my sister-in-law, Bev’s, flower shop part-time.  I had such a good time working there and I learned so much about flower arranging.  I also learned a lot about good cooking. You see, during especially busy times like Valentine’s Day, Christmas Open House, and when there were several funerals or weddings at the same time the entire group of ladies might have to pull late-night sessions.  It was exhausting and sometimes stressful, but we relied on each other to get through with lots of laughs and some crockpots full of home cooking. One year, during a late-night session some wonderful family members brought us a crockpot full of Weight Watchers Green Bean Chili.  I had never eaten it before and was skeptical, but I really loved it. I made it a couple of times at home but then put the recipe aside because my boys were not terribly fond of it during their teenage years. Lately, I was reminded of that delicious concoction and looked online for the recipe.  I made a big pot asap. It was just as good as I remembered although I am not positive that this recipe is the exact one that I had 15 years ago. This one has turkey and I can’t remember using that before. Anywho, I made some to take to work for my lunches for the week. I was talking about how good it was to my bosses and both of them asked for the recipe.  I willingly shared and they both love it too. They made it for their families with great success which made me extra happy. So, I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you too! This version of chili is chock full of chunks of turkey and veggies. It has a wonderful thick tomato base and is spiced just right.

Now, this is definitely not a traditional chili.  While it does have chili powder and a tomato base, there are no beans other than green beans and you do use turkey rather than beef.  I like to make mine very thick, but you can easily control the consistency by draining (or not draining) the canned green beans. I like to use French style green beans, but you can use any type that you like. If you want the chili to be truly weight-watchers worthy you need to use the extra lean ground turkey.  When I add up all the calories of the ingredients for this chili, the whole pot is around 1000 calories! That is crazy low, and the flavor is crazy good!

So, for this chili, you will need 3 pounds of ground turkey.  Use the leanest you can get. Mine was 93% but you can sometimes find 99% which would be great.  You will need about 1 cup of diced onion. I just diced up 2 medium Vidalia onions for mine. You can use whatever type floats your chili boat.  Also needed are a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, a 29 oz can of tomato sauce and 5 of the 14.5 oz cans of green beans. I like to use French style but feel free to use regular cut if you want a bigger bean bite.  For the spices, you will need salt and pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder. I have given measurements for the spices, but you can adjust those to your own taste.

Sautee the ground turkey and onions in a large soup pot until the turkey is browned and completely done.  The onions should be softened and translucent by then. Season the turkey and onions while they are cooking with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.  Make sure to break the turkey up into small pieces while cooking.

Add the undrained crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, 3 or 4 Tablespoons of chili powder (depending on how spicy you like chili), 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper (this is the 2nd time that you add salt and pepper).  You can adjust the salt to your needs. Start with less and add more if you want.

Open all the cans of green beans.  I like to drain 4 cans and leave 1 undrained.  You can adjust this to your liking. I just happen to like thicker chili.  Add the beans and stir until everything is combined.

Cook over medium or medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  If the chili thickens too much you can add water. If it is too thin you can cook it a bit longer.

Turn off the heat and prepare to enjoy a nice bowl of comfort…without the guilt.  I like this chili because it is thick and flavorful and so easy to prepare. The fact that it is a healthier option is a great bonus.

Print Recipe

Green Bean Chili

This version of chili is chock full of chunks of turkey and veggies.  It has a wonderful thick tomato base and is spiced just right.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Author: Wench Sherry

Ingredients

• 3 lbs lean ground turkey
• 1 cup onion diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 29 oz tomato sauce
• 5 cans green beans (french or regular cut) 14.5 oz each
• 2 – 4 Tbs chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Sautee the ground turkey and onions in a large soup pot until the turkey is browned and completely done.  The onions should be softened and translucent by then. Season the turkey and onions while they are cooking with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.  Make sure to break the turkey up into small pieces while cooking.
• Add the undrained crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, 3 or 4 Tablespoons of chili powder (depending on how spicy you like chili), 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper (this is the 2nd time that you add salt and pepper).  You can adjust the salt to your needs. Start with less and add more if you want.
• Open all the cans of green beans.  I like to drain 4 cans and leave 1 undrained.  You can adjust this to your liking. I just happen to like thicker chili.  Add the beans and stir until everything is combined. Cook over medium or medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  If the chili thickens too much you can add water. If it is too thin you can cook it a bit longer. Remove from the heat and enjoy.