There is nothing really too exciting about ground turkey; It doesn’t have a lot of flavor, once cooked it isn’t pleasing to the eye but the health benefits mean it has become a staple in my home and I need to figure out how to use it.

I recall my mother trying to pass off ground turkey in her “ground beef“ shepherd’s pie when I was a either a picky teenager or young adult I can’t remember how old I was – I’m sure she’ll chime in here if she reads this.  I remember it NOT tasting or looking like her “normal pie”. I am fairly certain I didn’t finish my plate that night.

While I am not AS picky as I used to be, I have come to appreciate that there are ways to cook and eat a little more healthy and NOT lose flavor or eye appeal. I don’t know about you but I know I get excited to eat when my plate looks and smells delicious!

In this recipe towards the end of the browning of the turkey I added the spices to the pot so to help “color” the ground turkey it changed it from drab to fab.
Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 Tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons chipotle powder – I used 1 leftover chipotle pepper from my fridge chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 cups water
1 – 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 – 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 – 15 ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed – I used black soybeans instead
2 cups kale, ribs removed, thinly sliced
Kosher salt and Freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

In a heavy bottom pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and the turkey to the pot breaking up the turkey into small pieces. Season with salt, cook till browned, push turkey to the side of the pan and add the chili powder, cumin and chipotle into a little of the olive oil, add another tablespoon if needed. Finish cooking the turkey while working in the spices.

Add the onions and pepper season with salt and pepper. Cooking till they are soft and the onions translucent.  Deglaze the pan with the water scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes, beans and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chili thickens a bit.

Stir in the kale and season with salt and pepper, cook for another 5-7 minutes.

Approx Macros = 2 cups per serving – recipe feeds 4
717 Calories – 39g Fat – 41g Carbs – 57g Protein
Recipe: Clinton Kelly on the Chew