Super Bowl Sunday Three Bean Turkey Chili

Super Bowl evening is a wonderful time of year. A time for football fans to see the culmination of 16 weeks of football+the playoffs, and a time for non-football fans to throw a party and make lots of food. I am a big fan of both food and football (I still love you, Redskins), so I wanted to make something special for the game.

And what better way to enjoy the game than chili! For simplicity, I chose to cook a Three Bean Turkey Chili in a crock pot so I could make the most of my Sunday without having to tend to the stove.

This was a simple recipe, as all crock pot recipes should be. I started by browning ground turkey with onions and green peppers.

I like to use lean ground turkey as an alternative to ground beef, since it is lower in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Just make sure to look at the nutrition label when you are buying ground turkey, because some companies use more dark meat than turkey breast and therefore it may not be as healthful as you might think.

While the turkey browned, I added a can each of diced tomatoes, red kidney beans, cannellini beans, and black beans. Another tip- make sure to drain and rinse your canned beans thoroughly to wash off up to a third of the sodium.

I topped off the beans with the ground turkey, added a few spices (including, chili powder of course!), and then mixed it all up! I cooked the chili on high for 4 hours- set it and forget it.

Once  the chili was done, I topped it off with some shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. So good! Adding Greek yogurt instead of sour cream is a great way to add creaminess (and protein!) to the dish with less calories, fat, and saturated fat.

This was a hearty chili- you could also leave out the ground turkey and the beans would be enough on their own. I hope you try it and let me know what you think!

Three Bean Turkey Chili
Yields 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1lb ground turkey
1 green pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1- 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1- 15 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1- 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1- 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp red chili pepper flakes
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Scallions, shredded cheddar cheese, and sour cream or Greek yogurt to garnish (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet of medium high heat, cook ground turkey with peppers and onions until meat is browned. Drain.
2. Add beans, tomatoes, turkey mixture, and spices to a large crockpot. Mix to combine.
3. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
4. Garnish with sliced scallions, cheese, and sour cream/Greek yogurt. Enjoy!