Julie Clark
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Farmer’s Market Turkey Chili
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Use summer vegetables from the farmer’s market in this comforting Farmer’s Market Turkey Chili. This healthy vegetable chili with summer squash is ideal for a summer dinner.
Do you like to visit farmer’s markets? We love them! All of the fresh flowers, handmade offerings and colorful veggies….I can’t get enough.
One of my favorite things to buy at summer markets are fresh veggies like zucchini. I’ll make our best zucchini bread any time of the year, but it is especially good in the summer. (And have you tried our peanut butter zucchini bread yet? It’s amazing!)
Farmer’s Market Turkey Chili
Man cannot live on bread alone…and sometimes we need to be grown ups and use our zucchini in something other than zucchini muffins and our corn in something other than buttery corn casserole. That’s where this colorful Farmer’s Market Turkey Chili comes in.
Just think…go to the farmer’s market…pick up veggies…and use them right away to make chili. Doesn’t that sound amazing?
Summer Vegetables for Chili
So what vegetables should you pick up at the market?
- corn on the cob
- bell peppers
- summer squash
- onion
- jalapeno
- cilantro (for topping)
- just about any other veggie!
How to Make Farmer’s Market Turkey Chili
We like to start our chili by chopping all of the veggies first.
A few hints:
- For the tomatoes, we like our chili best if we take the peel off. To remove the skin off of fresh tomatoes, drop them in boiling water for about 30 seconds or until the skin peels easily off. Do you have to peel tomatoes for soup? No, but you may end up with a weird texture from skins that may come off.
- You don’t need to cook the corn first since it will cook in the soup. Just cut it off the cob. If you have leftover corn on the cob that’s already cooked, however, you can use it in this recipe.
- We dice the jalapeno really small so no one gets a big piece of spicy pepper.
- Dice the onions and peppers into small pieces.
- Quarter the zucchinis and slice them. You don’t have to peel the zucchini.
Drain the beans and rinse them well.
Brown the turkey in a large dutch oven. After it is crumbled and browned, remove the meat, but don’t drain off the fat. You’ll use that to cook the veggies in.
Add onions, peppers and zucchini to the pot.
Saute til tender, then add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
Add the meat back to the pot and add the remaining ingredients.
Cover and simmer for 35 minutes. Then it’s ready to serve!
**Need a dutch oven? This is a beautiful one that we love!**
How do I make chili more spicy?
If you’d like this chili more spicy, add more chili powder or even a touch of cayenne pepper. In our classic chili recipe we use ½ cup of chili powder. It sounds crazy, but everyone loves it!
Can I use beef instead of turkey?
Yes! You can use beef, turkey, chicken…or even leave the meat out for a vegetarian chili recipe.
Can I use frozen corn or canned corn?
Yes! Drain the canned corn if you choose to use that. We prefer frozen corn over canned corn if you can’t get fresh corn on the cob.
Can I freeze turkey chili?
This recipe freezes very well! Make a double batch and store some in freezer bags for an easy meal when back to school gets busy!
What can you put on top of chili?
Normally we load our chili with cheese, onions and sour cream. For this garden fresh chili recipe, we simply add a touch of freshly snipped cilantro.
Other Chili Recipes
- Award Winning Chili Recipe
- White Chicken Chili in the Slow Cooker
- Healthy Sweet Potato Chili
- Black Bean Chili
Farmer's Market Turkey Chili
Use summer vegetables from the farmer's market in this comforting Farmer's Market Turkey Chili. This healthy vegetable chili with summer squash is ideal for a summer dinner.
Servings 8
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 1 cup bell pepper (chopped)
- 1 jalapeno pepper (minced)
- 1 cup zucchini (chopped)
- 1 cup yellow zucchini (chopped)
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 tablespoon chilli powder
- 3 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes (1 can)
- 15 ounces pinto beans (1 can)
- 1 cup chopped fresh tomato (skins removed or canned tomatoes)
- 2 corn cobs (no need to cook it, just cut it off the cob)
- 1 cup water
- fresh cilantro (for garnishing)
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables as described above.
- In a large dutch oven or saucepan, cook the turkey over medium heat until thoroughly cooked through. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Do not drain.
- Using the same dutch oven or pan, cook the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper and zucchini until tender.
- Add the garlic and cook for two minutes.
- Return the meat to the pan and add the remaining ingredients.
- Reduce the heat to simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 35 minutes over medium low heat.
- When finished, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve.
Notes
*This is a very forgiving recipe, adjust the quantities as needed and feel free to play around with additional farmers market finds!
*To remove the skin off of fresh tomatoes, drop them in boiling water for about 30 seconds or until the skin peels easily off.
*In a pinch, you can use canned corn.
*This recipe freezes very well! Make a double batch and store some in freezer bags for an easy meal when back to school gets busy!
*If you like your chilli extra spicy, add more chilli powder and possibly some cayenne for an extra kick! The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 8, with 1 serving being ⅛ of the soup. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
*To remove the skin off of fresh tomatoes, drop them in boiling water for about 30 seconds or until the skin peels easily off.
*In a pinch, you can use canned corn.
*This recipe freezes very well! Make a double batch and store some in freezer bags for an easy meal when back to school gets busy!
*If you like your chilli extra spicy, add more chilli powder and possibly some cayenne for an extra kick! The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 8, with 1 serving being ⅛ of the soup. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 479mg | Potassium: 972mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1395IU | Vitamin C: 46.4mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3.9mg
Drain the beans?