Sunday, January 24, 2010

Turkey & Black Bean Chili



Good anytime and quick too!
This is a go-to recipe for a light, meaty chili in a hurry. A drained can of black beans, canned chopped tomato, and a pound of ground turkey, along with one onion, bell pepper, garlic and chili powder, is all you need.

I buy frozen one pound tubes of turkey for about a dollar a pound in the frozen deli case -- a defrosted package of ground turkey in the meat department is much more expensive (costing more than ground beef), but the flavor is not different enough for the extra expense, at least to this chintzy chef. Cans of black beans (or pinto/red) and chopped tomato are ready to heat up and cheap at any grocery. Onions and garlic are the other budget ingredients; I used yellow bell pepper, but green is a cheaper substitute.

Ingredients (serves 3-4)
  • 1 lb. ground turkey, defrosted - I use pre-frozen tubes from the frozen case, as it is cheaper.
  • 15 oz. can of black beans - OK to substitute pinto or red beans. Drain out liquid.
  • 15 oz. can of chopped, diced or crushed tomato (or fire-roasted, for extra flavor).
  • 1 whole onion - chopped.
  • 1 whole bell pepper - chopped -- OK to use red, yellow or green bell pepper.
  • 1 tbsp. chopped garlic - fresh or from the jar.
  • 1 tsp. of chili power - add an extra tsp., for an extra flavorful chili.
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin - optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
Saute chopped onion, bell pepper and garlic for 5 minutes, or until soft. Add turkey, chili powder, ground cumin and cook until done, 5-10 minutes. As turkey cooks break it apart into small to medium chunks. Pour in can of chopped tomato and drained black beans. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook covered for 20-30 minutes. I like to serve my chili with a little chopped onion and shredded cheese on top -- my wife likes hers with low-fat sour cream.

Serve over white or brown rice if you like - but this well-rounded dish is hearty enough to enjoy on its own.

7 comments:

Rochelle R. said...

I always buy frozen chub ground turkey and recently spotted some at my local 99 cents store. It was fresh and good. I make my chili just like yours. Very tasty on a cold day. I enjoy your bog very much.

Dinahsoar said...

Looks delicious. A couple of years ago I started using ground turkey in many of my recipes in place of beef..it's a huge bargain. One of my faves to use it in is a recipe you might like--it also has coconut milk and all the components, I'd imagine, could be found at the 99.99 cents store (none where I live, but I have Dollar General Mkt. and Dollar Tree). I got the recipe from another website, here's the link to it:

http://pleasantviewschoolhouse.blogspot.com/2008/12/easy-thai-supper.html

I use ground turkey in place of the beef, I make half the recipe for husband and self, but use the full pound of meat, add some chicken bouillon to the called for water, use soy sauce in place of the tamari, and add a handful of frozen peas once the carrots are half tender. And instead of topping with peanuts I use cashews--which I always keep on hand for my Indian cooking--and we also top with raw de-stringed celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal..gives the crunch of water chestnuts, but more importantly gives me a way to use up that celery in the veg crisper.

This is a totally one pot meal, with protein, carb, and veg. Can't beat that! We eat it often.

If you try this dish and like it, feel free to post my adapted version on your blog--can't speak for the other blogger who originally posted it..but she may have 'borrowed' it as well. And shoot--you may come up with your own new twists, your own adaptation, which of course we hope you'll share!

Dinahsoar said...

Forgot to mention in my initial 'long' comment--sorry for the length--that I use just plain old rice--long grain-- instead of the jasmine, though the jasmine would be nice....as would basmati, which cooks up faster than other rice. No need spending extra money if you have regular rice on hand.

99 Cent Chef said...

Hi Rochelle R.- your blogs are great too! Nice vintage recipes.

99 Cent Chef said...

Hi Dinah, link doesn't work, but I'm sure it's a good recipe - the ingredients seem tasty.

Anonymous said...

Your blog makes me SOOO jealous that we don't have 99 Cent Stores in Virginia! We have various dollar stores (Dollar Tree, mainly) but they don't feature the awesomeness you get to enjoy. But we do have salvage stores where you can sometimes luck out with fresh produce & dairy (not often meats).

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious! I have been substituting turkey with beef and pork since last month and so far, I find it okay.
cedar chests

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...