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Healthy White Bean Turkey Chili

Name: Healthy White Bean Turkey Chili
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil (light); 1 medium yellow onion (diced); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 pound ground turkey; 1 tablespoon chili powder; 2 teaspoons cumin; ½ teaspoon salt and pepper (each ); 1 ½ cups vegetable stock; 2 large zucchinis (cut into ½-inch cubes); 2 (14.5-ounce) can cannellini beans ( rinsed and drained); 1 (4-ounce) can mild diced green chile peppers ( undrained); 1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese; Cilantro as garnish; 8 tablespoons sour cream (as optional garnish)

Published:February 18, 2019October 23, 2024 Updated on:October 23, 2024

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Easy Healthy White Bean Turkey Chili cooked in one pot and ready in 30 minutes for a quick, gluten-free, cozy and comforting chili. Lightened up with lean protein, cannellini beans, zucchini, pepper jack cheese, and spices.

Sometimes a fun twist is enough to make a classic unique and fresh again. Homemade chili is one of those dishes. Traditionally chili is a tomato based, with navy beans, onion, celery, and ground beef. Swap out a few ingredients and it’s something new entirely like Chili Lime Grilled Chicken Bowls, and this new one “Healthy White Bean Turkey Chili”.

Ingredients for White Bean Turkey Chili

Ground turkey: Lean protein that’s a healthier alternative to ground beef
Yellow onion and garlic: Veggies that enhance the flavor of meat and chili
Chili powder and cumin: Spices that create the main flavors of chili
Vegetable stock: A bit of liquid with flavor to create a light broth
Zucchini: Whole veggies with mild flavor and texture
Cannellini beans: Chili should always include some sort of bean. These are white beans to go with the lighter chili
Canned diced green chile peppers: Adds a bit of spice
Shredded pepper jack cheese: Used in the chili and as a garnish for creamy, cheesy flavor
Cilantro and sour cream: Additional garnishes that go well with chili

What’s the difference between regular chili and white bean chili?

White bean chili is different from traditional chili in that it uses white cannellini beans instead of red beans, such as kidney beans. Vegetable stock and other veggies replace diced tomatoes as well to keep it a lighter color.

Tips for Making White Bean Turkey Chili

Add more or less stock depending on your desired thickness
If you don’t like too much spice try skipping the chili powder and replace it with paprika
This chili makes great leftovers and tastes even better the next day
This chili will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days. Make sure to store it in an airtight container.
This chili freezes well for leftovers. Make a double recipe and freeze extras for easy meals.

Substitutions and add-ons to turkey chili

Tukey works great for a cozy fall chili, but you can substitute with ground chicken or beef.
Vegetable, chicken or beef stock are interchangeable but will affect flavors slightly.
Pepper jack cheese adds the best flavor to chili, but you can sub with cheddar, white cheddar or even mozzarella.
For a vegetarian option, omit ground turkey. There’s still plenty of protein from the cannellini beans.
Top with sour cream for extra flavor. Mix into the prepared soup to add creaminess.

How to Make Chili Healthy

Turkey is a versatile lean meat beyond the annual holiday meal. It’s naturally low in fat and high in protein. The meat adapts well to almost any recipe; soaking in plenty of flavors from other ingredients and making it ideal for this white bean turkey chili. You may also use turkey for appetizers like Turkey and Zucchini Spaghetti Nachos.

I recommend ground turkey for the chili recipe but you could also use leftover shredded turkey meat. Ground chicken which would also work well. For another twist on chili, try my Roasted Sweet Potato Chili.

To add substance and pair with the turkey, zucchini works surprisingly well in chili.

This turkey chili enough to be its own dinner entree, with plenty of protein, fiber, and vegetables. Or serve it at a party, as a side to your dinner spread. Plus it makes plenty and stores well for leftovers. Even though this White Bean Turkey Chili doesn’t have any tomatoes, you can still appreciate it as a hearty classic-style chili with a twist.

Tips for Making This in a Slow Cooker

If you prefer to make chili in a slow cooker for Crock Pot follow the guidelines below. Slow cooking chili is great if you want to prep it ahead of time then let it sit until you’re ready to serve.

Slow cook all the ingredients in a slow cooker on LOW for 4 hours or HIGH for 1 to 2 hours.

Thinking what else can you do with turkey? Then try my Greek Turkey Pita Burgers recipe!

More Comforting chili and soup recipes you may like:

Healthy White Bean Turkey Chili recipe at-a-glance:

Flavor profiles: Fresh vegetables with chili spiced turkey and white beans.
Texture: Plenty of varied textures from tender ground turkey to starchy beans.