White Bean Turkey Chili

Author and food advocate Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma created this recipe while trying to find a healthy, sustainable alternative for a family favourite: red chili with beef. “In trying to make it at home I tested various combinations: swapping out red beans for white for a different colour palette; replacing beef with turkey for sustainable, healthy meat; and using new (to me) vegetables to make this dish wholesome,” she writes. Serve with sliced baguette or multi-grain loaves, and you’re all set.

White Bean Turkey Chili

Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma's recipe for an easy, healthy chili with white beans, turkey and leafy greens.

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Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped white onions
• 10 oz (300 g) ground turkey
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 can (19 oz/540 mL) white or navy beans drained and rinsed
• 1 cup sweet apple cider
• salt to taste
• 3 cups dark leafy greens
• lime juice and wedges
• chopped cilantro to taste

Instructions

 

• Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot on medium heat. Once you see the oil shimmer, add the fennel seeds, cardamom pods and bay leaves. Toss and let the seeds brown gently, about 1 minute. Add the garlic and let it sauté for a couple of minutes.
• Add the onions and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. The onions will slowly turn translucent and release their liquid. Once that happens, add the ground turkey, coriander, and black pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the meat to brown for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the beans and apple cider and cook on high for 1 minute. Turn the heat down to medium, add salt to taste and stir it all together. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Stir halfway through to check that it’s all coming together, and add water if needed.
• Turn the heat off and stir in the greens. Put the lid back on and let the chili sit for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and consistency to your preference.
• Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lime juice, chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

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Recipe excerpted from Good Food, Healthy Planet by Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma. Adapted for ELLE Gourmet. Copyright © 2024 by Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma. Reprinted with permission of TouchWood Editions (touchwoodeditions.com).