Cozy & Colorful Chili

It’s fully fall, which means the weather is getting colder and we’re in need of some cozy recipes to warm us up this season.

Chili is always a reliable recipe when it comes to flavor and quick cooking. It’s easy to make and stores really well—you can refrigerate it for up to a week and freeze it for even longer.

The best part about chili is that it’s completely customizable. You can add in whatever protein you want, whatever veggies you have on hand, and your favorite beans. No two chilis ever have to be the same! Switch it up each week using whatever you’ve got.

I love this chili recipe because it fits all the criteria for a well-balanced meal. You’ve got protein and healthy fat from the ground turkey, complex carbs and protein from the beans, and fiber from the veggies. It’s a meal that will keep you full, focused, & nourished! You can add even more veggies than what is called for in the recipe to add more nutrients, or make it an all veggie chili by adding more beans and taking out the animal protein. However you would like to customize it is up to you, but my chili recipe goes like this:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 lb ground turkey

2 medium zucchinis, chopped

1 tbsp garlic, minced

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp cumin

½ tbsp oregano

1 tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp each salt & pepper

2 cans diced tomatoes (no added salt)

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

Optional fresh jalapeno pepper, chopped

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and yellow onion. Cook the onion until it’s soft and beginning to caramelize, then add the ground turkey.

2. Break the ground turkey into small pieces as it cooks. When the turkey is browned and almost completely cooked, add the zucchini and garlic. Stir ingredients well, then add your spices, salt & pepper. Mix well again before adding the diced tomatoes. If using jalapenos, add them in here as well.

3. Once the tomatoes are added, mix the chili and bring it to a simmer. Simmer covered for 15-20 minutes, and adjust the spices if you need to. Finally, add your beans and stir. Be sure that your beans don’t cook for more than a minute or two as they’ll get mushy.

4. Serve with fresh cilantro, avocado or jalapenos and enjoy!

Other veggies that go great in this recipe include mushrooms, corn, carrots, and bell peppers. You can also use black beans or even chickpeas here, and you don’t need to use two different types—using 2 cans of the same type of bean works just fine. However, if we’re keeping in mind color, you’ll get different nutrients from different colored foods, so the more color in your chili the merrier!

This recipe will be on repeat until it gets warm again :)

By Jessica Kaplan