Easy Turkey Chili with Veggies: Onions, Carrot and Celery

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This super easy turkey chili with veggies recipe is incredibly delicious! The added carrots and celery give it a tasty, nutritious touch. Although it is better the next day, it is perfectly delicious after simmering for 2 hours. You can’t go wrong!

We’ve made this chili countless times and it is always a hit.

HOW TO MAKE TURKEY CHILI WITH VEGGIES

We like to make our own spice mixture. It uses herbs and spices that most people already have in their pantries, and none of the junk that is found in prepackaged spice mixtures!

Into a small bowl, add all of the following: 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 4 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp sugar, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp dried parsley, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp dried basil, and 1/4 tsp ground black pepper. Mix it all up with a spoon and set aside.

Place a large Dutch oven or pot onto your stovetop. Turn the heat on medium and add about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add 1 large chopped onion and a generous pinch of salt. You can use either a white onion or yellow onion. Cook for about 5 minutes while stirring frequently.

Then add the 4 cloves of minced garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or so while stirring.

Add 1 pound of ground turkey. Break it up and mix it well with the onions. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until all the pink is gone.

You can also use ground chicken or ground beef as well! Whatever you prefer! Better yet, try it 3 different times with each one and see what you like the best!

Then add your seasoning mix into the pot, and stir really well. If you like spicy chili, you can add some crushed red pepper. Start with 1/8 teaspoon and you can always adjust later to make it spicier!

Add 2 chopped carrots and 2 chopped stalks of celery. If the carrots and celery stalks are pretty small, you can add 3 of each.

Drain two cans of red kidney beans, rinse them, add to the pot, and stir well. You can use any beans that you like: black beans, pinto beans, whatever you desire.

Lastly, add 2, 14oz cans of crushed tomatoes and 2, 14oz cans of diced tomatoes. You can also buy larger 28 oz cans. Stir really well, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for at least 2 hours. Check on it frequently and stir often so that nothing sticks at the bottom of the pot.

For the best flavor, we like to use crushed and diced San Marzano tomatoes. Using the best ingredients that you can makes a huge difference! Fire-roasted tomatoes are also really delicious in this chili.

After the chili has simmered for 2 hours, taste it and add any additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, or allow to cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator. It will be even better the next day!

You can also freeze the chili in Souper Cubes (link to Amazon). We LOVE using our silicone Souper Cubes to freeze chicken broth, soups, chilis, and more. Once frozen, you can easily remove the frozen cubes and store in a plastic ziploc bag for up to 3 months.

Label the ziploc bag with the contents and a date, and you can reheat whenever you’d like. Souper Cubes are a game changer in meal planning!

Top your homemade chili with any of your favorite chili toppings, including pickled jalapeño peppers, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

This chili would be absolutely amazing with our cheddar jalapeno bread or corn bread. Our cheddar jalapeño bread is a no-knead bread and you will NOT believe how easy it is to make, even if you’ve never made bread before.

It pairs beautifully with this chili and you may never go back again once you try it.

If you’ve tried making this turkey chili with veggies, let us know how you like it! It’s a perfect, easy meal to make during cool weather, and wonderful for lunches, dinners, and leftovers!

And if you love one-pot recipes, don’t miss our easy one-pot cajun shrimp creole recipe. It is packed with flavor and takes less than an hour of cooking time!