Fire Roasted Weeknight Chili
Weeknights are busy in my house. Especially Mondays, which we call "Millie Mondays". My daughter goes from 4pm piano to 5:30 dance to 7pm swim. That's a lot for an 8 year old (insert judgement here), but it's also a lot of driving without a ton of time for dinner prep.
Sure, there are some Sundays when I'm on my A-game and have meals planned out for the week, vegetables chopped and sides pre-made. But those Sundays are few and far between.
A busy weeknight evening is when I rely on the one dinner my kids beg for and I can whip up in about 20 minutes: Chili!
This recipe is like a Frankenstein mash up of a couple recipes, but I focused on the few ingredients that had the most flavor. This keeps everything simple without losing the flavor. If I ask my kids what they want for dinner, this is what they ask for almost every single time. And the joke is on them, because all the ingredients are healthy.
We love it so much, I shared the recipe with Northeast Ohio Parent Magazine back in the spring.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Fire Roasted Diced or Crushed Tomatoes
Unseasoned Diced Tomatoes or Tomato Sauce
Cocoa Powder
Cumin
Kidney or Black Beans
To be honest, I use the Italian method of cooking like my ancestors. I usually "eye it" when it comes to how much of everything I'm putting in, so these are loose estimates on measurements. But that's also the good part about recipes like chili. It's really hard to screw up.
Enjoy! And stay warm.
THE RECIPE: FIRE ROASTED WEEKNIGHT CHILI
This chili packs a lot of flavor in with just a few healthy ingredients. It's a quick and easy weeknight meal that is effortless, satisfying and will quickly become your go-to cold weather dish. Using ingredients like fire roasted tomatoes and cocoa powder, the depth of flavors level up this recipe from all the others.
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 White Onion (Chopped)
1 lb. Lean Ground Turkey
1 Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper (Chopped)
28 oz can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
15 oz can Unseasoned Diced Tomatoes or Tomato Sauce
15 oz can Kidney or Black Beans (Rinsed)
2 tbsp Chili Powder
1 tbsp Ground Cumin
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes (optional )
DIRECTIONS
Using a stock pot, sauté the chopped onions on a high to medium heat until they become translucent.
Add the ground turkey and cook on medium until it's browned. On really hectic or lazy nights, I've even browned the turkey while it's not completely frozen and so far, we've all survived.
Once the ground turkey is browned, add in the fire roasted tomatoes, diced tomatoes or tomato sauce, chopped bell pepper and rinsed beans.
Add the chili powder, ground cumin, cocoa powder and optional red pepper flakes.
Let all of it cook on medium to high heat to allow the peppers and beans to soften and heat through.
Serve hot and enjoy! And then run out the door again to the next activity.
