Cozy and delicious, this turkey chili recipe is packed with chopped veggies like onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and carrot for a satisfying meal. Cooked on the stovetop and ready in just under an hour and a half, I love garnishing a bowl of this homemade chili with cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and fresh avocado!
There’s something about cold weather that calls for soups and stews. Its pretty much mandatory to have one simmering on the stove top at least once a week! Ground turkey chili is the ultimate in that department too, delivering on all levels in one hearty, flavor filled bowl. Perfect for a game day snack or a hearty meal on a cold winter day.
This turkey and veggie chili even takes it up a notch and by using turkey as a leaner protein source and TONS of veggies. This delicious recipe will satisfy your hunger and keep you full longer than most comfort foods would!
If you’ve been around for awhile, you know I’m huge on swapping turkey with beef. I make turkey this, turkey that, and try to trickle the recipes in here and there not to overwhelm you all with turkey love! If you’re wanting more, I have a whole category for easy dinner recipes with ground turkey that you’ll need to check out!
In a dish like chili that is full of deep flavor already, you won’t even notice the change. The flavor soaks into the meat and each bite is like a new flavor filled experience. Its the same concept with my delicious homemade ground turkey spaghetti sauce recipe – you don’t even miss the red meat!
Chili Ingredients
This turkey veggie chili has simple ingredients, a lot of which are pantry staples and spices. Don’t be scared by the long list! It’s really not complicated to make and since chili is a mix of flavors, all of them are important. Here are a few notes about key ingredients.
- Veggies – onion, bell peppers, zucchini and carrot are what I used. You can swap this out if you really don’t like any of them but I highly recommend this mix since it goes so well with the rest of the chili.
- Meat – I used a mix of ground turkey and turkey or chicken sausage for more flavor. You can use all ground turkey though and it will still turn out great! If you want it leaner, make sure that you buy ‘ground turkey breast,’ not just ‘ground turkey,’ since that will have the fatty dark meat mixed in. On the other hand, if you don’t care, either work fine in this recipe.
- Beans – kidney beans and pinto beans are standard in chili. I recommend these types of beans for this reason, but a can of black beans or even white beans can be swapped in here.
- Tomatoes – I love using crushed tomatoes since they have a little more texture than tomato sauce but don’t have any large chunks like diced tomatoes would. That being said, if you need to substitute for either tomato sauce or diced tomatoes, you can. Tomato paste is a must to thicken the broth. I have an Instagram reel for saving and freezing tomato sauce too.
- Spices – Mexican chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, salt and black pepper are the magic combo! I also add in Worcestershire for added peppery depth and I don’t recommend skipping this. Use a gluten free brand if needed.
- Chicken broth adds more liquid and is more flavorful than using water. If you want to replace a small amount (1/2 cup or so) of the liquid with beer, that works great too!
- Hot sauce – optional and great for adding a little kick! You can substitute a little bit of cayenne pepper or leave it out.
How to Make Veggie Turkey Chili
The recipe is all made in one pot and is so simple! Here’s what you need to do:
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot or dutch oven. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and carrot and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened and onions are starting to brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
- Add turkey and cook until browned, chopping into small pieces while cooking.
- When turkey is browned, add spices and stir into cooked meat for one minute before adding tomatoes, beans, broth, and tomato paste.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes uncovered. Adjust spice level with hot sauce and salt before serving. Optional garnishes include cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, and green onion.
Tips
Recipe Tips
- Brown the meat and season it well. In cooking with lean ground turkey, my trick is to add all of the seasoning to the browned meat before adding any other ingredients. This way the turkey absorbs the spices and tastes more seasoned. I do this in my turkey cabbage rolls and pretty much every other recipe that uses ground turkey.
- Let it simmer! Yes, it’s still edible earlier but the simmer creates a thicker texture and more flavor since it has time to cook down. Be patient and don’t skip it.
- Can I use a Crockpot? You can definitely throw this recipe in the crockpot and let it simmer for a few hours, but I prefer to keep it stove top on the lowest heat setting so you can use the same pan to sear the veggies and brown the meat. Why dirty another dish if you don’t have to, ya know? Technically the meat and veggies will cook in the crockpot, but browning is where all the flavor comes from! You don’t want to miss this step.
Storing and Freezing Leftovers
One thing about chili is that it’s even better the next day. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. It freezes and reheats great on the stovetop or microwave for quick lunches or dinners so I highly recommend doing this!
What to Serve with Turkey Veggie Chili
I know in the recipe I refer to the add ins as “optional,” but what’s a bowl of turkey chili without its cheese? Exactly. So top with shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro, avocado, green onion, chives and sour cream to your hearts content. Or get creative with other toppings, the sky is really the limit with this one.
If you want to go dairy free, there are some great dairy-free cheeses, sour creams and plain yogurts out there! Use my whole wheat corn bread to soak up the juices for the ultimate experience!
Tasty Turkey Chili with Chopped Veggies (Stovetop)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. coconut oil or avocado oil or olive oil
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 bell peppers (seeded and chopped)
- 2 small zucchini chopped (about 2 cups)
- 1 carrot chopped (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 2 turkey or chicken sausage links raw with outer casing removed and discarded (can use 4-6 oz. more ground turkey instead or leave this out)
- 2 Tablespoons Mexican chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more if desired
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire
- 15 oz can pinto beans
- 15 oz can kidney beans
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- hot sauce per preference
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and carrot and cook for 5-6 minutes until softened and onions are starting to brown. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
- Add turkey and cook until browned, chopping into small pieces while cooking.
- When turkey is browned, add spices and Worcestershire and stir into cooked meat for one minute before adding beans, broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes uncovered. Adjust spice level with hot sauce and salt before serving. Optional garnishes include cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro, chives, and green onion.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Looks delicious!
We agree!
I’ve been making this recipe for years and I actually end up doubling it because it goes so fast! I also add in extra veggies (usually whatever is lying around that needs to be used up) like sweet potato, celery, and always CORN! This is truly one of the best hearty winter meals 🙂
That makes me so happy to hear! I love the sound of all those additions too. I bet sweet potato is fantastic in this. Thank you so much for commenting to let me know you like the recipe!