Turkey Chilli with Black Beans, Corn and Pumpkin

Chilli For A Crowd

I had 14 people coming for dinner on a weeknight, what was I going to cook?  I needed something that was quick, easy, tasty, healthy, could be made ahead of time and reheat well, is easy to serve and not going to break the bank…ahhh, i know, CHILLI!!

So I set about looking for a tasty and interesting chilli recipe.

This isn’t a blow-your-head-off spicy chilli, although you could add extra chilli if that is how you like it. I was aiming for a good depth of flavour from lots of different tasty spices which included cocoa, which sounds weird, but it really adds to provide a deep rich colour as well as adding to the flavour.

I prefer to use turkey as it has more flavour than lean chicken mince and doesn’t dry out as much.  The addition of beans helps to make this dish healthier (lowers saturated fat, increases fibre and phytonutrients) and it helps that they are also very cheap to buy.

I made the chilli the night before to save time, but also as often with dishes like this, the flavour develops and it tastes better the next day.  After it cooled down I stored it in the fridge overnight.

We served the chilli on top of long grain rice (which I cooked in my new gaggenau steam oven), along with lime wedges and a big green salad (as I believe that greens must be included with every dinner!)

 

The chilli was a hit, everyone loved it – here is my scaled down recipe:

Chilli Turkey (or Chicken) with Black Beans, Corn and Pumpkin

Serves 8

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin oil
• 1 large brown onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 large red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 500g turkey (or chicken) mince
• 3 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 500g pumpkin, diced in 2cm squares (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 2 small or 1 large zucchini, cut in half lengthways, sliced about 1 cm wide
• 1 1/2 x  400g tins black beans (or red kidney beans), drained and rinsed*
• 1 x 400g tin corn, drained and rinsed, or 1 ½ cups frozen corn
• 1/2 x 450g jar of fire roasted peppers, drained and diced in 2cm squares (I used the Always Fresh brand available in Woolworths)
• 3 teaspoons Massel chicken stock powder – or to taste
• pepper
• 1 bunch coriander (roots, stems and leaves) washed well and finely chopped – reserve some leaves for garnishing
• 1-2 fresh limes

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat, add the oil and onion and cook until onion for 4-5 minutes, until it has softened and starts to brown.   Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
2. Then add the coriander, cumin, oregano, paprika, cocoa, cinnamon and chilli. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add chicken or turkey mince and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the mince starts to release its juices and is mostly cooked.
4. Add tomatoes, then rinse each can with water (about 1/3 can full) and add this.  Add pumpkin, zucchini, beans, corn, roasted peppers, stock powder and pepper and gently bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Just before serving, stir through chopped coriander.  Serve sprinkled with reserved coriander and a lime wedge

*note:  I actually used dry black beans, soaked them overnight and cooked them before making the chilli.  If using dry black beans, measure out 3/4 cup, which makes about 2 1/2 cups when cooked.  Cover with plenty of water and soak overnight.  The next day, drain, add to saucepan with fresh water and boil for about 30 minutes, or until soft.

Per Serve: Without rice 1086kJ or 258 Calories; P 18g Fat 8g SFat 2g CHO 23g Fibre 8g

With 3/4 cup long grain white rice 1756kJ or 418 Calories; P 21g Fat 9g SFat 2g CHO 60g Fibre 8g