Cozy up with this healthy turkey lentil chili for a night in with Netflix. This chili is incredibly easy to make and loaded with nutrients. It’s the perfect balance of healthy fats, protein and fiber to keep you full and satisfied for hours.
The best part is, you only need one pot to make it, which means minimal dishes to clean up!
A One Pot Chili Recipe is a Must-Have for Fall
Having a good chili recipe on hand is essential once the cooler air of Fall hits. Or if you live in a warmer climate like I do, for when Fall season arrives and you turn the A/C down low to pretend it’s cooler outside.
Traditional tex-mex chili is made without beans or lentils. Just ground meat, tomatoes and spices.
On the other hand, vegetarian chili is often made with a variety of beans instead of ground meat.
Related recipe: Lightened Up White Bean Chili
Both are delicious versions of chili, but in this recipe, I’m putting my own spin on it.
You know me. I’m always looking for ways to infuse plant-based foods into my recipes. Most of the time I go all in with the plants, but for this recipe, I wanted to make something that would please those who can’t quite part with meat at every meal.
A Recipe for the Meat Fan and Plant-Based Eater
This one pot healthy turkey chili is the perfect combination of meaty and plant-powered. The combination of these two ingredients allows for a high protein, high fiber, and overall lower carbohydrate dish.
Whenever I am introducing meat eaters to more plant-based meals, I start adding the plant-based ingredients to the traditional recipe before reducing the overall meat in the dish.
Whenever ground turkey is involved, my plant-based protein of choice is lentils. They have a slightly different texture than beans that closely resemble ground turkey which allows them to basically go unnoticed.
Related recipe: Lentil Walnut Tacos w/ Pineapple Mango Salsa
This Healthy Turkey Chili is Perfect for Soup or As a Dip
This one pot healthy turkey chili is so hearty, that you could almost turn it into a dip. Top with plain yogurt and cubes of avocado, serve it with chips, and you’ve got yourself a party appetizer!
Either way you serve up this turkey lentil chili, I think we can all agree that chili is all about the toppings. Chili is a perfect meal to serve to a crowd during the Fall and Winter months, because it can be made ahead of time and be turned into a create your own situation with a toppings bar.
Related recipe: Hearty Butternut Squash Veggie Chili
Or, if it’s a chili and Netflix kind of night, this one pot healthy turkey chili will make enough for you to eat off of for the rest of the week. Chili is also a great freezer food if the thought of eating it for the next five days isn’t so appealing.
Print
One Pot Healthy Turkey Lentil Chili
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Having a good chili recipe is essential for when the cooler months of Fall and Winter hit. This One Pot Healthy Turkey Lentil Chili is a great way to infuse plant-based ingredients into a dish while going unnoticed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup dry green lentils
- 4-ounce can diced green chilies
- 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot on medium heat. Add the olive oil and onions. Saute for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, turkey, salt and pepper. Brown the turkey until cooked through, breaking it up with a spatula and stirring occasionally. Once cooked through, add the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and chipotle powder. Stir to combine. Stir in the lentils, diced green chilies, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer, leaving the lid slightly cracked. Simmer for 45 minutes until the lentils are tender, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from burning.
- To serve, top with ingredients of choice (plain Greek yogurt, avocado, crushed chips and jalapeno slices are all great options). Enjoy!
Notes
To make this recipe vegan-friendly, substitute the ground turkey for 2 cans of beans (black beans and red kidney beans would work well).
You could also freeze leftover chili. Bring the chili to room temperature before freezing to prevent the container from cracking. Chili will be good frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Calories: 341
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 1495mg
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 25g
Keywords: chili, turkey chili, turkey lentil chili, soup, low carb soup, low carb chili, healthy chili recipe, one pot recipe, one pot meal, gluten free, gluten free recipe, fall season, fall foods, winter foods
6 Responses
Super nutritious and tasty! My hubs and I aren’t huge fans of beans, so the lentil here is great. I used red lentils which doesn’t take too long to cook, but still let it SIMMER for 45 minutes. Highly recommend, and easy to modify to your taste as well.
★★★★★
Hi Jina, I’m so happy to hear that you and your husband loved the chili! It’s a great compromise between meat and vegetarian. Thank you so much for the kind compliments and review!
Hi! If using canned lentils, by how much should I reduce the broth?
Hi Alicia, great question! I would reduce the liquid to 3 cups veg broth to start. You can always add more to adjust to the consistency you prefer. Enjoy!
Just made this, and it’s OK but too watery. I’m hoping a flour water roux will thicken it up.
Hi Starla, I’m sorry to hear that the chili turned out a little too watery for you. Usually, the dry lentils soak up most of the liquid during the cooking process. Next time, you could reduce the liquid amount initially, only adding more if it starts to get dry as the lentils cook. Thank you for taking the time to revisit the post and share your experience!