Cincinnati Turkey Chili

Winter time = slow cooker time!! Nothin' like a homemade chili in the slow cooker to get you through that work day.  This recipe calls for spaghetti but we don't use it. I'm pretty sure this is tasty enough without adding a filler like spaghetti.  If I am going to eat pasta, you better believe I'm having alfredo or something that will make it worth eating those carbs!  This recipe is fantastic enough with out the spaghetti, so in my opinion, you should skip it.

The thing I love most about chili is beans!  We had double the ingredients for everything but the beans. Luckily, since I love beans, I had a can of cannelini beans in the pantry.  It got the job done.   We also made the cornbread with the original recipe, which is included below.

As of today's post, 32 people gave this an average rating of 4 out of 5.

Recipe by Cooking Light, September 2009

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 34 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1/2 cup spaghetti, 1 1/2 cups chili, 2 tablespoons onion, and 3 tablespoons cheese)

Ingredients

• 4  ounces  uncooked spaghetti
• Cooking spray
• 8  ounces  lean ground turkey
• 1 1/2  cups  prechopped onion, divided
• 1  cup  chopped green bell pepper
• 1  tablespoon  bottled minced garlic
• 1  tablespoon  chili powder
• 2  tablespoons  tomato paste
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon  ground allspice
• 1/2  cup  fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 1/2  tablespoons  chopped semisweet chocolate
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.
2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add turkey; cook 3 minutes, stirring to crumble. Add 1 cup onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in chili powder and next 5 ingredients (through allspice); cook 1 minute. Add broth, beans, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate and salt. Serve chili over spaghetti; top with remaining 1/2 cup onion and cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 408

Fat: 13.8g (sat 6.6g,mono 4.3g,poly 1.7g)

Protein: 24.5g

Carbohydrate: 47.4g

Fiber: 7.9g

Cholesterol: 67mg

Iron: 3.7mg

Sodium: 765mg

Calcium: 237mg