WW Recipe of the Day: Easy Tex-Mex Turkey & Pinto Bean Chili
This recipe caught my eye because my husband loves chili, and it wasn't like most typical chili recipes. It included two ingredients I've never put in chili, cocoa powder and molasses. I was intrigued and couldn't wait to give it a try. Turns out these provided a depth of flavor that can't be beat!
Tex-Mex Turkey Bean Chili
I had most of the ingredients on hand, with two substitutions. I replaced the ground turkey with lean ground pork. And I didn't have canned pinto beans, so I cooked dry small red beans to use instead.
I find the easiest way to cook dry beans is overnight in the crockpot. I just rinse the beans, add them to the crockpot, and add enough water to cover the beans by 2-3 inches. Cook on LOW for 8 hours. In the morning the beans are done and you simply salt to taste.
We all loved it. This will be my "go to" chili recipe from now on because of the lighter tomato flavor and depth of flavor provided by the molasses and cocoa powder. Heavy tomato sauce can often be too acidic for me to really enjoy.
How Many Calories/WW Points in this Tex-Mex Chili?
According to my calculations each generous serving has 304 calories and:
7 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
8 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
How to Cook Tex Mex Turkey Chili with Beans Step-by-Step
Add bacon to dutch oven, or multi-cooker (I used my Ninja 3-in-1 Cooking System (affiliate link)), and cook on medium until crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes or so.
Add onions, garlic and jalapeños. Stir frequently until softened (about 5 minutes):
Cooking Bacon, Onions, Garlic and Jalapeños in Ninja Multi-Cooker
Add ground turkey and break up the meat - I used my Pampered Chef Mix N Chop (affiliate link) for this:
Using Pampered Chef MixNChop to break up ground turkey
Cook until meat is browned (about 10 minutes):
Cook ground turkey until browned
Add chili powder, cocoa, and cumin. Stir for 1-2 minutes.
Break up tomatoes with your hands and add along with remaining puree from the tomatoes to the pot.
Add molasses, water, and salt:
Adding molasses, crushed tomatoes and salt to chili pot
Reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.
Add beans. Continue cooking uncovered for 30-45 minutes:
Cooking Tex-Mex Turkey Bean Chili in Ninja
Tex Mex Turkey Bean Chili Recipe Notes
This recipe also can be done in a slow cooker. Just brown the meat and vegetables on the stove top and then add along with remaining ingredients to your slow cooker, cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or so. If using a multi-cooker, use stove top setting until meat is browned; then add remaining ingredients and set to slow cook on LOW for 4 hours.
Substitute any ground meat for the the turkey. Lean ground beef, ground chicken, ground pork, turkey sausage, etc.
Substitute any type of beans for the pinto beans. A combination of beans would be nice too.
Use the Mix N Chop (affiliate link) by Pampered Chef to break up ground meat easily.
Make this vegetarian by substituting vegetarian crumbles for the meat and/or bulking it up with more beans and additional vegetables.
This recipe makes a large quantity of chili, perfect for parties or portioning out and freezing for future quick and easy meals. You could also easily divide all the ingredients in half to make a half batch.
Tex Mex Turkey Bean Chili Serving Suggestions
- Top chili bowls with cheese, pickled jalapeños or cilantro.
- Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, or a cheese quesadilla.
- Serve over brown, white, or cauliflower rice.
- Serve on a bed of greens for a light taco-like salad.
Ways to Use Leftover Chili
- Turn your leftover chili into a soup by adding chicken broth, a can of corn and fresh cilantro.
- Make nachos with all your favorite toppings.
- Make stuffed potato skins for a tasty appetizer.
- Toss with elbow macaroni, put in 8-inch pan, top with low-fat cheese and bake for an easy Tex Mex Chili-Mac Casserole.
- Make a warm dip by stirring chili into melted low-fat cream cheese.
- Top a baked potato with warmed up chili and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
- Freeze some chili to enjoy later.
Are You Ready To Slow Cook Yourself Slim?
If you've made this Ground Turkey & Bean Tex-Mex Chili, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Easy Healthy Tex-Mex Turkey & Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 3 slices center cut bacon, cut crosswise into ½-inch strips
- 3 pounds 93% lean ground turkey
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers, minced (seeds removed for less heat)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 cans (28 ounces each) whole peeled tomatoes in puree
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 cup water
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 4 cans (15.5 ounces each) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Add bacon to dutch oven, or multi-cooker, and cook on medium 6-8 minutes, until crisp.
- Add onions, garlic and jalapeños. Stirring frequently until softened (about 5 minutes).
- Add turkey and break up the meat. Cook until browned (about 10 minutes).
- Add chili powder, cocoa, and cumin. Stir for 1-2 minutes.
- Break up tomatoes with your hands and add along with remaining puree fro the cans to the pot.
- Add molasses, water, and salt. Reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.
- Add beans. Continue cooking uncovered for 30-45 minutes.
Recipe Notes
- Substitute any ground meat for the the turkey.
- Substitute any type of beans for the pinto beans.
- Use the Mix N Chop by Pampered Chef to break up ground meat easily.
- Bulk it up with veggies instead of meat to make it vegetarian.
Recipe source: Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast: 250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day (affiliate link) by Martha Stewart Living (affiliate link) Magazine
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
If you like this Turkey and Bean Chili, you might also like:
- 3-Bean Slow Cooker Turkey Sausage Chili
- WW Pepperoni Pizza Chili
- Slow Cooker Chuck Wagon Chili
- Mom's Best Chili
Brenda is a licensed esthetician and former small business owner after completing over 15 years of service with the United States military.
She is an essential oil enthusiast and avid home cooking for her husband and their two dogs.
Brenda and her family spend most of their time in the American Southwest, but they also love hitting the road for adventure.
One of her new passions is creating easy, healthy family-friendly freezer meals which can be prepared at home and frozen, and then cooked while traveling the country in their travel trailer.
She looks forward to sharing everything she learns with you here on Simple Nourished Living.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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