No need to sacrifice flavor when it comes to eating healthy – this Healthy Slow Cooker Chili is perfect! Spicy or Mild – you choose, either way it’s a MUST make!
Chili. On a cold day. That is one of the first things I think about making when the weather turns from beautiful and sunny, to cold, wet, and windy. I don’t think anything quite hits the spot like a nice big bowl of chili. We have been making healthier choices the last couple of years and so I’ve started looking at ways to make our favorite foods more waist line friendly. One thing my whole family agrees on is replacing ground beef with ground turkey. You can use any ground meat of choice but our wholesale store offers the ground turkey in big packs and a great value, so we buy it in bulk and stock up. I replace ground beef with turkey just about every time. We really enjoy the flavor and the chili is seasoned really well so, honestly, we don’t even notice a difference.
With my recipe, I prefer to cook the meat ahead of time and sweat out the onions and garlic in the pan with it. I feel like it gives it a great flavor and that way I can strain off what little bit of fat may be left before mixing it all together in the Slow Cooker. This recipe is so easy. After the meat, onions, and garlic are cooked, just throw in the rest of the ingredients and walk away. Three or six hours later (depending on what amount of time you have) you will have a wonderfully flavored, hearty meal that hits the spot and warms every bone on those cold, blustery days.
Add our Traditional Cornbread Recipe and you have the perfect pairing!
We like to garnish our chili with plain, nonfat Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. If you are wondering if I’ve lost my mind because you think that does not sound at all like a good replacement for sour cream, I encourage you to try it first. I have found that I thought nonfat Greek yogurt would be runny – like nonfat milk is thin compared to whole milk. That is not the case. It is thick and creamy. A few times I actually had to double check and make sure I didn’t actually grab the sour cream by accident! My whole family enjoys it and are benefiting from the extra protein and low fat it provides. Our one guilty pleasure is to put a sprinkle of real cheddar cheese on top. You can use low fat if you would like to cut out a few more calories. We also sprinkle on a few green onions and viola! Dinner is served.
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Healthy Slow Cooker Chili
- Total Time: 6 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
Description
No need to sacrifice flavor when it comes to eating healthy – this Healthy Slow Cooker Chili is perfect! Spicy or Mild – you choose, either way it’s a MUST make!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.75 lbs ground turkey
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1–2 tablespoons chili powder – depending on how spicy you like it
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1/4 – ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – depending on how spicy you like it
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans (drained)
- 1 (15 oz) can diced red tomatoes
- 1 to 2 cups of water (depending on how thick you like your chili)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Cook the ground turkey, onions and garlic cloves.
- Add the mixture to the Slow Cooker along with the rest of the ingredients.
- Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.
- Garnish with shredded cheese, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and some diced green onions.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Category: Slow Cooker
