I love slow cooker recipes. Why? Because the slow cooker does all the work for you! And because they usually take 10 minutes of prep time which you can do in the morning before leaving work and dinner is ready by the time you get home. This chili was a hit in our house- my dad and I have had it for dinner pretty much every night this week (both of us are creatures of habit, we really like our routines)!
Why is this recipe so great? Not only because it’s so easy, but it’s also packed with flavor and protein. It will keep you full for a long time and is a great stand alone dish. It’s a dense chili and doesn’t have a lot of water/broth, which I personally like. It really doesn’t need bread or chips to accompany it, although for lunch today I heated up an English Muffin and made my own rendition of a Sloppy Joe with it.
Hint for slow cooker recipes- you may wonder why we brown the meat before we put it in the slow cooker since it is going to cook in there anyways? There are a couple of reasons. For sausage, browning the meat will lock in the flavors of the spices in the sausage which would otherwise be pretty bland if you just tossed them in the cooker. If you are using ground beef, it’s a good idea to brown the meat to drain off some fat. Also if you don’t brown it, your meat will clump together and add lots of grease to the chili (both no good). For chicken, it’s fine to add it in raw. Browning just makes the meat extra tender and flavorful, always a good idea.
Spicy Slow Cook Turkey Chili
Makes 6 Servings, Each serving is 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 pound raw turkey sausage (about 4-5 links, I used Jennie O Lean Hot Italian Turkey Sausage)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
- 30 ounces (2 cans) canned kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 30 ounces (2 cans) canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 20 ounces canned diced tomatoes with green chiles (I used 2 cans of Rotel)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoons ground coriander
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- Mexican Cheese
Directions:
- Slice the sausages into rough 3/4 inch slices. (I wasn’t exact with my cuttings, just eyed what I thought were good pieces and this worked well for me. Also, I used my Joyce Chen scissors to break up my sausage.) Set cut sausage aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (This usually takes a minute or two until the olive glistens). Add the sausage to the hot pan. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and a pinch of fresh pepper over the sausage. Cook until lightly browned, approximately 5 minutes. (The sausage does not need to cook all the way through since it will cook in the slow cooker.) Transfer the sausage to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.
- Pour remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil into the skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the onions to the slow cooker.
- Pour the kidney beans, black beans and canned tomatoes into the slow cooker. Add the chili powder and coriander. Stir and cover. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 8-10 hours.
- For serving, ladle the chili evenly into 6 bowls and top with sour cream or Greek yogurt and some Mexican cheese.
Adapted from the Weight Watchers Momentum Cookbook
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I love slow cooker meals, too. They make life so much easier. I love all the beans in this recipe, too.
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