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Smart Nutrition with Jessica Penner, RD

Smart Nutrition with Jessica Penner, RD

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Home / Recipes / Turkey Quinoa Chili [one pot or slow cooker]

Turkey Quinoa Chili [one pot or slow cooker]

Dinner, Recipes

two bowls of turkey quinoa chili surrounded by tortilla chips and half an avocado in the background
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This one pot healthy turkey quinoa chili is a meal-in-a-bowl! Top with cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Freezes well so make extra!

When I was in University I ate this meal all the time. Literally. I would make a big batch and then freeze it in individual portions. My freezer was always stocked. In other news, I’m conducting an experiment to see whether any one actually reads this paragraph before the recipe. I know when I’m browsing other blogs for recipe ideas, I just hop, skip, and jump down to the actual recipe. So if you’re reading this and you actually like these little introductions, tell me in the comments! 

A woman holding a board with two bowls of turkey quinoa chili

Some Notes about This Quinoa Chili Recipe

A few things you should know!

  • You can use any ground meat you prefer! I regularly swap in ground beef or ground chicken. Admittedly I’ve never tried ground pork but my guess is that it would work as well.
  • You can make this on the stovetop or in the slow cooker or Instant Pot. See the recipe notes for the adaptations for the appliance of your choice.
  • This recipe freezes well. Why not make a double batch and freeze in meal size portions for a quick mid-week meal?
An overhead view of two bowls of texan turkey quinoa

Why This Turkey Quinoa Chili is a Smart Choice

This recipe is a superstar choice for boosting your iron status. One serving of this recipe has 5 mg of iron! Women should aim for 18 mg a day (27 if you’re pregnant) and men should aim for 8 mg. 

Not only is this recipe high in iron, I designed it for your body to maximize the iron absorption.

  • Each serving has at least 50 mg of Vitamin C, which increases iron absorption
  • The combination of legumes (black beans) and meat increases the iron absorption from the legumes
  • Cooked in a cast iron pan, the total iron content could increase significantly! 

If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram!  I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.  

two bowls of turkey quinoa chili surrounded by tortilla chips and half an avocado in the background
5 from 4 votes

Turkey Quinoa Chili [one pot or slow cooker]

Print Recipe
This one pot healthy turkey quinoa chili is a meal-in-a-bowl! Top with cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips. Freezes well so make extra!
Prep Time:10 mins
Cook Time:30 mins
Total Time:40 mins
6

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 454 g ground turkey (or other ground meat: chicken, beef, pork, bison)
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 large red pepper chopped
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp chili flakes
  • 1 can 796 ml or 28 oz tomatoes
  • 1 can 156 ml or 5.5 oz tomato paste
  • ½ cup quinoa
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup frozen corn
  • 1.5 cup cooked or canned black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese optional
  • tortilla chips for serving (optional)

Instructions

  • In a large pot or skillet, saute the ground meat and onion until the meat is no longer pink.
  • Add the red pepper, spices, and salt. Cook one minute.
  • Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, quinoa, water, corn, and black bean. Stir to combine.
  • Bring to a boil then cover and turn down to low.
  • Simmer until the quinoa is cooked (about 15-20 minutes).
  • Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips (optional).

Notes

  • SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS: First saute the meat and onions until the meat is cooked. Then transfer to a slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the cheese and tortilla chips) then heat on low for several hours.
  • INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS: First saute the meat, onions, and spices until the meat is cooked. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the cheese and tortilla chips) then choose manual and select 1 minute. Wait 10 minutes and release. 

Nutrition

Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 983mg | Potassium: 885mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1525IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 208mg | Iron: 4mg
Course: dinner
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 353kcal
Author: Jessica Penner, RD

More Freezer Friendly Recipes!

  • Thai Peanut Chicken
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  • Healthy Egg McMuffin Copycat

November 13, 2020 · 26 Comments

Previous Post: « Trail Mix Cookies [gluten-free]
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Comments

  1. Kate Grier says

    September 30, 2022 at 11:29 am

    5 stars
    Loved this, another great recipe and was a great recipe to freeze although it didn’t stay frozen for long. I used ground chicken and left out the beans.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      January 10, 2023 at 10:39 am

      Thanks for sharing! Glad you loved the recipe!

      Reply
  2. Cathy Richards says

    August 6, 2021 at 10:34 am

    5 stars
    Made it for a friend and she said it was the best chili she ever had.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      September 8, 2021 at 7:33 pm

      Thanks so much for sharing! So glad she enjoyed it!

      Reply
  3. Lauren says

    November 8, 2020 at 8:18 pm

    5 stars
    I made this chili tonight and LOVED it! It was so quick and easy to throw together, too. Do you have nutritional information for this?

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner, RD says

      March 21, 2021 at 9:41 pm

      Recipe is now updated with the nutrition info! So glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  4. Robyn B says

    November 18, 2019 at 9:48 pm

    I don’t know why I didn’t make this when you first posted it years ago! This is an awesome one pot meal! I made a double batch so I could freeze single portions for work lunches. I love it!

    Reply
  5. Alice says

    January 26, 2016 at 10:17 pm

    This is amazing, I’ve tried to get myself to like quinoa for a long time. Now with this recipe I even have cravings! I don’t add meat as I am a vegetarian, and it is still very good. Thanks a lot!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      January 27, 2016 at 6:12 pm

      Awesome! Thanks for the review on the vegetarian version!

      Reply
  6. Megan says

    March 9, 2015 at 12:26 pm

    hi there- this recipe showed up in my pinterest feed- I’m just entering 3rd tri with #4 and what caught my attention was the iron boost; I do cook a lot with cast iron- and we typically eat a lot of venison- so our levels are very good…long story longer? This recipe is very similar to a Johnny Marzetti recipe that I make but like it’s southwestern cousin, perhaps? To keep it lower fat I would use grated Parmesan cheese; most often I use Dreamfields pasta for the ‘bulk’, but I was stoked to see quinoa as the center here- I’m not crazy for it and have been looking for ways to force myself to like it more- this doesn’t look like I would have to force myself much! THANKS!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      March 9, 2015 at 10:26 pm

      Congrats on the baby! The end is in sight! This truly is one of my favourite meals… I hope it becomes one of yours too! Let me know if it helped you like quinoa. It does also work very well with rice! That’s how I used to make this recipe before I started buying quinoa.

      Reply
  7. Roslyn says

    February 22, 2015 at 8:20 pm

    I read the comments too, they often have helpful hints such as mentioning that it freezes well. I’m not a picky eater by any means I like almost anything but the one thing I’m picky about is eating food that isn’t made fresh I can almost always taste the difference when it’s been frozen so I’m always looking for recipes that taste good after being frozen. And this would probably work with a meat substitute

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      February 22, 2015 at 10:08 pm

      I don’t know if I’m particular about tasting whether a food has been previously frozen or not but I feel fairly confident about recommending this one as a freezer meal! For a vegetarian version, I would recommend sautéing the onions in a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil.

      Reply
  8. Jocelyn says

    February 18, 2015 at 5:40 pm

    i always read your intros….i tend to skip many others.

    Reply
  9. Sefie says

    February 9, 2015 at 3:25 am

    Hi i read the intro too 🙂 I am new here and I must confess too when i am in a hurry I skip the intro .and I liked you in the instagram at first site

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      February 9, 2015 at 2:38 pm

      Thanks for visiting the site! I always love to hear feedback from readers. That way I know what people want to see!

      Reply
  10. Ruth Unrau says

    February 9, 2015 at 1:17 am

    I often skip the intro on other blogs, but to be honest I almost always read your intros. They are never too long, and always have something I want to read!!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      February 9, 2015 at 2:37 pm

      Thanks for reading Ruth! I feel more motivated now to keep writing little intros 🙂

      Reply
  11. jupo says

    February 8, 2015 at 10:30 pm

    I often skip the intro paragraphs too. 🙂 Sounds delish and I’ve been on the lookout for high-iron meals for me and this bun in the oven. Thanks.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      February 8, 2015 at 11:03 pm

      I feel honoured that you read this intro! Hope you enjoy the meal!

      Reply
  12. Robyn B says

    February 8, 2015 at 10:15 pm

    I’m another Robyn who reads the intros!

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      February 8, 2015 at 11:02 pm

      Nice to meet you! Thanks for reading 🙂

      Reply
  13. Carol says

    February 8, 2015 at 10:15 pm

    I read it, as I do every new site. I will make thus without the cheese and chips…no gluten, dairy, say.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      February 8, 2015 at 11:02 pm

      Thanks for commenting! If you want the chips but can’t have gluten, some tortilla chip brands are 100% corn!

      Reply
  14. Robyn says

    February 8, 2015 at 5:32 pm

    I always read everything. Also, I want to try this.

    Reply
    • Jessica Penner says

      February 8, 2015 at 8:28 pm

      Thanks Robyn!

      Reply

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