Three Bean, Vegetable, and Turkey Chili

I posted this awhile ago on my personal blog as part of my 30 Healthiest Foods Challenge, but thought I'd do another re-post here because I'm eating the leftovers this week! Some work is being done in our building and for some reason it's super cold in the office this week (I'm currently wrapped up in a blanket, jacket, and scarf in my office, despite the hot weather outside) so I was really excited to defrost my lunch and dig in to a hot meal! I was pleasantly surprised to find that the chili freezes really well.

This recipe is time consuming at the beginning if you don't have pre-chopped veggies, but it's also full of a a lot of stuff that you probably already have in your pantry. I usually have ground turkey in the freezer and I always keep bell peppers on hand because I LOVE them. It is a nice, thick chili that is super filling, healthy, and delicious.

Three Bean, Vegetable, and Turkey Chili

Serves 8 with 1 1/2 cup serving

Cooking spray

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium bell peppers (colors of your choice - I used red and orange), chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp paprika

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, undrained

1 (15 oz) can black beans, undrained

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, undrained

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce, no sodium added

1 3/4 cup chicken broth, fat-free and low sodium

Coat a large sauté pan with cooking spray; set over medium-high heat. Brown turkey, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 10 minutes; drain and set aside.

Coat a large pot with cooking spray; set over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add bell peppers; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add chili powder, paprika, cumin, and oregano; stir for 1 minute.

Stir in broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, all beans and turkey; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring every 5 minutes, about 35 minutes total. Yields about 1 1/2 cups chili per serving.

Normally I'd add more tomatoes and omit the kidney beans because I'm not a huge fan, but they're on the 30 Healthiest Foods list so I figured they'd be the least offending in a big pot of chili. Ultimately, I was pretty happy with my creation!
 

Enjoy!