Ground Turkey Chili: Loaded with Anti-inflammatory foods

This ground turkey chili is loaded with anti-inflammatory foods like garlic, cilantro, parsley, and ceylon cinnamon to name a few. This autumn and winter comfort food is full of delicious, hearty flavors and so much nutrition. The ground turkey chili can be made in a slow cooker or on your stovetop in a dutch oven.

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For years, I’ve been making this in our slow cooker but I am slowly trying to transition away from our slow cooker as I really only use it for a few recipes. I just recently started making this in my favorite dutch oven. I love that this recipe becomes a ‘one-pot meal’ when using the dutch oven. When making it in the slow cooker you will need to first sauté the ground turkey and onion in a skillet. I’ll include instructions for both in the recipe below.

The ground turkey chili pairs really well with our gluten-free, refined sugar-free corn bread (recipe included below). We also love to top the chili with avocado slices, chives, cilantro, and sometimes dairy-free sour cream.

This chili is pretty hearty on it’s own but there are so many other ways to level it up into creative leftovers (this is a large batch). You can use the chili to make ‘haystacks’, as a topping over baked sweet potatoes, with chips to make nachos, or even make it a breakfast chili over eggs.

When we have leftovers, we also love freezing some of the chili and having it on hand for later. This is so convenient to thaw for quick dinners. Pair it with some of the ideas above and you can make this chili go a long ways.

We often make this for family gatherings around the holidays because this large batch can feed a lot of people.

Health Benefits of some Ingredients in this Ground Turkey Chili:

Organic Ground Turkey: Turkey is a wonderful source of lean protein. It is also packed with vitamins and minerals, like iron and zinc.

Garlic: Garlic contains allicin which is antimicrobial and antiviral. This helps the immune system to fight infections. It is also full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

Sweet Bell Peppers: Are considered one of the richest sources of vitamin C. They are also packed with other vitamins (B, K, E and A), as well as antioxidants and minerals.

Parsley: This powerful herb is full of antioxidants and vitamins. It is an especially good source of vitamin K. It is one of my favorite herbs to grow in our garden and use frequently.

Cilantro: Is known to help detox the liver, this is especially important if our immune system is stressed. Cilantro also has lots of vitamins and minerals. It is another wonderful anti-inflammatory food to add to your meals.

How to make this Ground Turkey Chili:

Ingredients:

An important part of my anti-inflammatory diet is making sure to always buy organic ingredients (read more about why here) and to also check ingredient labels, making sure there isn’t unwanted additives.

• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (for sautéing)
• 2 lbs Ground Turkey
• 1 large Sweet Onion (diced)
• 6-8 cloves Garlic (diced)
• 2 Sweet Peppers (diced)
• 1 bunch Parsley (chopped)
• 1 bunch Cilantro (chopped)
• 1 large Jar Diced Tomatoes
• 4 medium Tomatoes (diced) or (Just add an additional jar of diced tomatoes if you don’t have fresh)
• Salt to taste (~2 tsp is a good starting point but we usually add more)
• 3 tbsp Cumin
• 3 tsp Chili Powder
• 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 3/4 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon
• 3 – 3 1/2 cups Filtered Water
• 3 – 14oz cans of beans (kidney beans, black bean, and great northern white beans are my favorite)

Instructions:

1. Chop, dice, and prep all your produce as listed in the ingredients above.
2. Heat extra virgin olive oil in a dutch oven (or skillet if you plan to use a slow cooker) over medium-high heat. Add in your onion and sauté until caramelized, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add the ground turkey to the dutch oven or skillet and sauté until it is no longer pink.
4. Add all the remaining ingredients (except for the beans) to your dutch oven or slow cooker.
   • If you’re using a slow cooker you will transfer the onion and turkey to your slow cooker at this point.
5. Bring the chili to a boil. Then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for at least 1 hour (longer is great too, as this really allows the flavors to come together). Stir occasionally while the chili cooks.
   • If using a slow cooker instead of dutch oven, you will cook on high for 4 hours.
6. Stir in your cooked beans and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
7. Serve warm. Enjoy!

FAQ, Tips, and Variations for this Ground Turkey Chili:

Can I use dry beans instead of canned beans? Yes! For this recipe you would want to use around 2 – 2 1/2 cups of dry beans. I highly recommend soaking and sprouting your dry beans the night before making this chili. Soaking and sprouting beans helps to reduce phytic acid and break down anti-nutrients, which can then increase nutrient absorption and aid in better digestion (i.e less bloating and gas). I would also recommend pre-cooking your sprouted beans before adding them to the chili. You can do this on the stovetop or in an instant pot. If you were to just add dry beans straight into the chili you will end up with crunchy, uncooked beans.

Can I use another meat besides ground turkey? Definitely! It may change the flavor slightly but I am sure ground elk, chicken, or even beef would be delicious too. I chose turkey for this recipe as I cannot tolerate beef within my anti-inflammatory diet. Most red meat, especially beef, quickly triggers inflammation in my body and leads to a flare-up of my ankylosing spondylitis.

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5 from 3 votes

Ground Turkey Chili for an Anti-Inflammatory Diet

This ground turkey chili recipe is full of anti-inflammatory foods, hearty flavor, and so much nutrition. Make it in a slow cooker or on the stovetop. This also includes the recipe for gluten-free, refined sugar-free cornbread.

Author thispurelyjoyfullife.com – Kimberley

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil for sautéing
• 2 lbs Ground Turkey
• 1 large Sweet Onion diced
• 6-8 cloves Garlic diced
• 2 Sweet Peppers diced
• 1 bunch Parsley chopped
• 1 bunch Cilantro chopped
• 1 large Jar Diced Tomatoes
• 4 medium Tomatoes diced or (Just add an additional jar of diced tomatoes if you don't have fresh)
• Salt to taste ~2 tsp is a good starting point but we usually add more
• 3 tbsp Cumin
• 3 tsp Chili Powder
• 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 3/4 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon
• 3 – 3 1/2 cups Filtered Water
• 3 -14oz cans of beans kidney beans, black bean, and great northern white beans are my favorite

Instructions

• Chop, dice, and prep all your produce as listed in the ingredients above.
• Heat extra virgin olive oil in a dutch oven (or skillet if you plan to use a slow cooker) over medium-high heat. Add in your onion and sauté until caramelized, about 3-5 minutes.
• Add the ground turkey to the dutch oven or skillet and sauté until it is no longer pink.
• Add all the remaining ingredients (except for the beans) to your dutch oven or slow cooker. If you're using a slow cooker you will transfer the onion and turkey to your slow cooker at this point.
• Bring the chili to a boil. Then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for at least 1 hour (longer is great too, as this really allows the flavors to come together). Stir occasionally while the chili cooks. If you're using a slow cooker instead of dutch oven, you will cook on high for 4 hours.
• Stir in your cooked beans and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
• Serve warm. Enjoy!

Notes

Gluten-free, Refined Sugar-Free Cornbread:

• 1 cup Corn (Masa) Flour
• 1 cup Almond Flour
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tbsp Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Coconut Oil (melted)
• 1 Egg
• 1 cup Coconut or Cashew Milk
• 3 tbsp Honey (plus more for drizzle)

1. Preheat oven to 425℉
2. Mix your dry ingredients together.
3. Mix your wet ingredients together and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix until thoroughly combined.
4. Pour your batter into a 10 inch cast iron skillet or a greased baking dish.
5. Drizzle honey over the batter.
6. Bake for 20 minutes. After baking let the cornbread cool at least 15 minutes before removing from dish and cutting.

 

If you try this loaded ground turkey chili recipe, I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Share a photo and tag @thispurelyjoyfullife on social media. If you are interested in more gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free recipes that are anti-inflammatory be sure to sign up for my email list below.

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