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!
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?
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.
Turkey Quinoa Chili [one pot or slow cooker]
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.
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.
Thanks for sharing! Glad you loved the recipe!
Made it for a friend and she said it was the best chili she ever had.
Thanks so much for sharing! So glad she enjoyed it!
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?
Recipe is now updated with the nutrition info! So glad you enjoyed it!
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!
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!
Awesome! Thanks for the review on the vegetarian version!
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!
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.
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
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.
i always read your intros….i tend to skip many others.
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
Thanks for visiting the site! I always love to hear feedback from readers. That way I know what people want to see!
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!!
Thanks for reading Ruth! I feel more motivated now to keep writing little intros 🙂
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.
I feel honoured that you read this intro! Hope you enjoy the meal!
I’m another Robyn who reads the intros!
Nice to meet you! Thanks for reading 🙂
I read it, as I do every new site. I will make thus without the cheese and chips…no gluten, dairy, say.
Thanks for commenting! If you want the chips but can’t have gluten, some tortilla chip brands are 100% corn!
I always read everything. Also, I want to try this.
Thanks Robyn!