Ethel’s Turkey Chili!

This recipe comes from a good family friend, Ethel (the same one I mentioned in my “chicken and dumplings” post). Ethel first made this for my family when my mom had her first knee replacement surgery and it became an instant family favorite! She made it with turkey because she knows that I don’t eat beef, but you can certainly use ground beef, ground pork, or anything you’d like. When I was in college, Ethel made huge batches of it for me to take back to school. I would freeze some and eat some right away, it both freezes and reheats in the microwave really well. When I went off to grad school in Boston, she knew I would have my own kitchen and wouldn’t see her as often, so she gave me the recipe. I’ve made one minor adjustment, but otherwise it is the same and it is just as delicious as Ethel makes it.

While this recipe does take about an hour (longer than the “lazy chef” likes to cook) and you are on your feet for most of the time, the recipe really requires very little work, you just have to chop an onion and open some cans! What I like most about this recipe, besides how it tastes, is that it is easy to make and is very versatile. It freezes really well and reheats easily. So if you have time during the weekend, you could make a batch and eat some immediately and freeze some for another day during the week. Plus, it’s cheap! I made this recipe for under $15 shopping at my local Wegman’s, that’s about $2.50-$3.75 a serving. I already had the chili powder, cumin, cayenne, sour cream, and cheese, but these are things many people already have in their cabinet or fridge, so it shouldn’t cost you over $20 even if you have to buy everything.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp. vegetable oil.

l lb. ground  lean turkey, a little fat is okay and preferred. You can use 1 lb. of any ground meat you like though.

1 medium onion, finely diced (I use sweet Mayan, but you could use yellow).

1 package El Paso taco mix.

2 tbsp. Chili powder.

Cumin-to taste.

Cayenne pepper-to taste.

1). 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes (lately I’ve been using “Italian style” and it adds a little extra dimension and sweetness).

1). 8 oz. can of tomato sauce.

1). 6 oz. can of tomato paste.

1 can of pinto beans (you could use kidney beans, but I prefer pinto beans).

1 cup of frozen corn.

1-2 tsp. sugar to cut down on acidity.

1 box of Rotini pasta (Ethel makes it “Cincinnati style” with pasta underneath the chili to make it a balanced meal, but you could certainly skip this or serve the chili with tortilla chips or anything else you’d like).

Optional: Cheddar cheese and sour cream for topping!

Directions:

1). In a large heavy bottomed pan (preferably NOT non-stick as that seems to dry out the meat and make the chili a little thick) heat oil over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and  brown (when using beef, you might not need to add oil to the pan).

2). When the turkey is no longer pink add the diced onion and cook until onion is softened.

3). Add taco mix, chili powder and a sprinkling of cumin and cayenne pepper (according to how spicy you like your chili).

5). Stir and add pinto beans and frozen corn. Stir again and bring back to a bubble. Immediately lower the heat and stir occasionally just to prevent burning on the bottom. Now you can add 1-2 tsp. of sugar to cut back on the acidity, if you feel you need to. Let simmer for another 20 minutes to an hour.

6). Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.

When pasta is done and you feel the chili has simmered enough, fill a bowl with a little pasta and top with some chili. Top with cheese (I like Kraft singles) and sour cream or anything else you’d like. Sit back and enjoy!

Serves about 4-6.