Ground turkey chili is a great lighter option for busy weeknight meals. This easy one-pot recipe is full of flavor and comes together in just a little over 30 minutes.
A solid chili recipe is one of the best recipes to have in your arsenal because it is endlessly versatile. You can serve it as a hearty main smothered with cheese and sour cream, as a simple side with ribs or a good sandwich, or add it as a topping to something that could use a little spicing up.
And unlike most chili recipes that take hours to cook, this turkey chili can be on your table in a little over 30 minutes with very little hands-on cooking time. It’s a modified version of my super speedy Beef Chili Recipe that I posted a couple of years ago, but with ground turkey swapped in for ground beef.
Turkey chili is perfect when you want the same deep flavors you get from the traditional beef chili, but could go for something a little lighter. It maintains all the rich taste and is just as thick and delicious.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground turkey: I call for 85% lean ground turkey in this recipe, but whatever you have on hand will work.
- Tomato paste: This recipe uses tomato paste to help add depth of flavor to this chili. You will be left with some leftover tomato paste in the can. To get recipe ideas and information on how to store the leftovers, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Tomato Paste .
- Beans: For chili, I like to use a mix of pinto and kidney beans, but feel free to substitute the combination of canned beans you prefer. Just make sure to drain and rinse the beans before you add them to your chili.
Chicken broth: I use chicken broth in this recipe to add a bit of flavor to the chili, but you can substitute for it with either beef broth or water.
How to Make Ground Turkey Chili
Prep your ingredients. Before starting the chili, open all cans, drain the beans, line up/portion out your spices, dice your onion, prep your veggies, etc. This recipe moves quickly once you start, so get your ingredients prepared before you start cooking.
In a large pot, cook your diced onion in olive oil until softened.
Add the ground turkey to the pot. Salt and brown the turkey.
- Add garlic, tomato paste, and spices to the pot and cook altogether for 1 to 2 minutes. This will give the flavors a chance to deepen before you add the liquid ingredients.
- Stir in all of the remaining ingredients and bring everything to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, until the chili has reached your desired level of thickness.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!
Variations
There are a lot of different ways you can customize your chili.
- Meat: Instead of ground turkey, you can replace it with ground chicken. Ground beef can also be substituted if you prefer a heavier chili. You can also make this recipe vegetarian by using your favorite plant-based crumbles.
- Peppers/veggies: If you like your chili with more veggies, before you add the spices, add chopped up peppers or different types of veggies like corn or zucchini to the ground turkey just after browning.
The Best Turkey Chili Toppings
Try adding some toppings to your chili! Some of my favorites are:
- Cheese
- Fritos/tortilla chips
- Green onions/chives
- Jalapenos
- Sour Cream
- Cilantro
- Chopped Avocado
What goes well with turkey chili?
Ground turkey chili makes a great main dish served with a salad and cornbread . It can also be a filling side with a light sandwich. I particularly enjoy this chili used as a topping on hot dogs, cheese fries , baked potatoes or sweet potatoes .
How do I store turkey chili and how long does it last in the fridge?
Chili is one of those recipes that gets better the longer it sits. You can store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
Can I freeze it?
Chili actually freezes really well. To freeze chili, place it in a freezer bag either altogether or in individual servings. I like to freeze my chili flat for easier storage. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months for best results. Once you are ready to eat, defrost in the refrigerator and reheat in either the microwave or on the stove with a little water added.
How do you thicken turkey chili?
If you want a thicker chili, simmer uncovered until your chili has reached your ideal level of thickness.
Is turkey chili healthier than beef chili?
Turkey chili has fewer grams of fat than beef chili. Compared to my beef chili which has 16 grams of fat per serving, this turkey chili has just 12 grams of fat.
More Cozy Comfort Food Recipes
- Super Easy Country Style Pork Ribs
- Baked Ziti, The Ultimate Cheesy Pasta Bake
- Reader Favorite Ham and Potato Soup
Ingredients
- ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ▢ 1 large yellow or white onion diced
- ▢ 1 pound 85% lean ground turkey
- ▢ 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ▢ ¼ cup ( 66g ) tomato paste
- ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- ▢ 2 tablespoons chili powder
- ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ▢ 14 ounces crushed or diced tomatoes
- ▢ 1 15-ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed*
- ▢ 1 15-ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed*
- ▢ 1 cup chicken broth *
Toppings
- ▢ Sour cream optional
- ▢ Shredded cheese optional
- ▢ Cilantro optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add your diced onion and cook until onions just begin to turn translucent around the edges, about 5 minutes.
- To the onions, add the turkey and salt. Cook, stirring often, until turkey is browned.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and pepper, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic.
- Add the tomatoes (with their juices), drained beans, and broth. Bring to a low simmer and simmer the chili uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and chili has thickened.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper if necessary.
- Spoon into bowls, top with sour cream and cheese if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
A quick and easy recipe for making Italian Seasoning at home.
This super fast and simple recipe for homemade Italian seasoning can be made in under 5 minutes by combining common spices you probably already have in your pantry. Make this once, and you’ll never want to buy grocery store Italian seasoning again!
How to make Italian Seasoning
In the middle of making dinner and you just popped in to grab the recipe? Here you go so you can get back to cooking.
For (a little over) 1 tablespoon of Homemade Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, preferably crushed (optional)
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage OR ½ teaspoon rubbed sage (optional)
Mix together all of your spices and store in a small airtight container ( small weck jars or recycled empty spice containers work great) for up to 4 months.
What is Italian seasoning?
Italian seasoning is a mixture of dried herbs like basil and oregano that often appear in Italian cooking. And fun fact, though the seasoning’s name would lead you to believe it was created and popularized in Italy, its origins are shrouded in mystery.
Some believe that Italian seasoning was developed by early Italian-American immigrants as they sought to create a taste of home with spices that were not always readily available at that time in America. It is now more commonly believed that Italian seasoning was created by the ancient Greeks and Romans somewhere in the Mediterranean.
Today, the Italian seasoning that you buy at the grocery storeis typically a combo of marjoram, thyme, rosemary, sage, oregano, and basil.
What does it taste like?
Italian seasoning has a piney, earthy and minty flavor from the dried oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary, while also having a slight sweetness to it. By making your own Italian seasoning at home, you can manipulate the recipe in order to find the best ratio of herbs to meet your exact taste!
What can I use instead of Italian seasoning?
If you are missing some of the ingredients from the recipe, don’t worry! The two most important flavors in Italian Seasoning are basil and oregano. Combine them with any of the other recipe ingredients you have available at the time.
Although it will be missing some of the true richness of flavor, it will give you a perfectly passable substitute.
Are oregano and Italian seasoning the same things?
Although oregano is a common ingredient found in Italian seasoning, oregano and Italian seasoning are not the same thing. Italian seasoning is a mixture of herbs which typically includes dried oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary.
Can I use Italian seasoning in Spaghetti?
Yes! Italian seasoning contains dried basil, thyme and oregano, all of which make an excellent addition to any spaghetti sauce recipe.
Recipes to Make Using Italian Seasoning
Italian seasoning is a great addition to pasta sauces, sprinkled over pork or chicken before cooking or used with roasted vegetables like my crispy Italian Roasted Potatoes .
Recipe Notes
- I recommend using crushed rosemary in your seasoning blend because people don’t always like the texture of full dried rosemary leaves in some recipes, but you can use whatever rosemary you have on hand.
- This recipe calls for ground sage (the sage leaves have been ground to a fine powder). If you would like to use rubbed sage, double the amount of sage used in the recipe.
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- ▢ 1 tablespoon dried basil
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dried rosemary preferably crushed, optional
- ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons dried marjoram optional
- ▢ ¾ teaspoon ground sage optional
Instructions
- Mix together all of your spices and store in a small airtight container (small jars or recycled empty spice containers work great) for up to 4 months.
Notes
Roasted carrots and potatoes are an easy, crowd-pleasing side dish that can be ready for the oven in about 10 minutes.
If you need a simple but satisfying side dish to pair with dinner tonight, you really can’t go wrong with roasting up some root vegetables.
Toss a bunch of carrots and a few potatoes with some olive oil, salt and pepper, roast them in a very hot oven, and you’ll have people stealing pieces off the tray before they ever make it to the table.
Equipment & Ingredient Notes
- Foil: Covering the potatoes with foil during the initial cooking time allows them to cook through without drying out. This creates roasted potatoes with extremely creamy insides that are crispy on the outside. If you don’t have foil you can cook the potatoes uncovered, but they won’t have exactly the same texture.
- Red potatoes: I like to use red potatoes for roasting because they roast up with creamy interiors and crispy edges. But Yukon golds also work well. If all you have are russets, they’ll work just fine. Their texture when roasted isn’t quite as good as waxier potatoes, but they’ll still taste great.
- Carrots: Try to chop your carrots into pieces roughly the same size so they cook evenly. For very large carrots, slice the thick upper part in half lengthwise before cutting into chunks.
- Olive oil: There are 3 tablespoons of olive oil in this recipe. It helps add flavor and help with the browning and crisping of the vegetables. If you want to cut the oil, you can reduce it by 1 tablespoon, but I wouldn’t recommend reducing it by much more.
How to Roast Potatoes and Carrots
Prep potatoes: Scrub your potatoes and cut them into large bite-size pieces, about 2-inches. Place potatoes on your baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and salt and toss to coat. Arrange the potatoes evenly spaced on the baking sheet.
Bake potatoes: Cover the tray with foil and bake for 15 minutes. This will give your potatoes a head start on cooking without letting them dry out.
Add carrots: Once the potatoes are softened, add carrots, a little more olive oil and salt, and arrange the veggies so they’re evenly spaced, preferably with a cut-side down. The more contact the carrots and potatoes have with the hot tray, the more browning they’ll get.
Crank up the heat and roast: Turn the heat up to 475°F, which will help give you those crispy edges on the potatoes, and cook uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until the carrots are tender.
Remove: Remove from the oven, add additional salt if needed, and enjoy!
Can I double this recipe?
You can double the recipe, but you’ll want to use two baking trays. If you crowd one baking tray with too many carrots and potatoes, they will steam in the final step instead of browning nicely.
Cook both trays at the same time, swapping them halfway through each cooking time so they cook evenly. Cooking two trays at once, you won’t get quite as much browning and crisping as cooking just one, but they’ll still be delicious.
Can I roast carrots and potatoes at the same time as my main dish?
Yes. You can cook the carrots and potatoes at the same time as your main dish, but depending on what temperature that dish is cooking at, they may not turn out as browned and could need a longer roasting time than when cooked alone.
Roast your veggies on the rack below the main dish and extend the baking time as needed for everything to become tender.
More Favorite Side Dish Recipes
- Honey Roasted Carrots
- Zucchini in the Oven
- Crispy Smashed Red Potatoes
- Classic Oven-roasted Carrots
Equipment
- Foil
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 pound red potatoes
- ▢ 1 pound carrots
- ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ▢ ½ teaspoon salt divided
- ▢ 2 teaspoons dried oregano
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Scrub potatoes and cut them into large bite-size pieces, about 2-inches.
- Place potatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Toss until well-coated. Arrange potatoes so they are evenly spaced over the tray.
- Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. While your potatoes bake, peel and trim the tops of your carrots and slice them into 2-inch chunks. For larger carrots, slice the thick upper part in half lengthwise before cutting into pieces.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and raise the temperature to 475°F.
- Remove and discard the foil. Add carrots to the tray and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, oregano and remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt over the top. Toss until well-coated.
- Arrange the vegetables so they are evenly spaced on the tray, preferably with a cut-side down, and bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, shaking the pan once halfway through to move everything around, until the carrots are tender.
- Remove from the oven, add additional salt if needed, and enjoy!
Quick Ground Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow or white onion diced
- 1 pound 85% lean ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ¼ cup ( 66g ) tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 14 ounces crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed*
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed*
- 1 cup chicken broth *
Toppings
- Sour cream optional
- Shredded cheese optional
- Cilantro optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add your diced onion and cook until onions just begin to turn translucent around the edges, about 5 minutes.
- To the onions, add the turkey and salt. Cook, stirring often, until turkey is browned.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic, chili powder, cumin, and pepper, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic.
- Add the tomatoes (with their juices), drained beans, and broth. Bring to a low simmer and simmer the chili uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and chili has thickened.
- Taste and add additional salt and pepper if necessary.
- Spoon into bowls, top with sour cream and cheese if desired, and enjoy!
