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thick red turkey chili with cooked ground turkey crumbles, whole pinto beans and small roasted green poblano pieces in one ordinary bowl, with no cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips or garnish
Rachel Kim

Freezer Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili

Roasted poblano and pinto beans make this turkey chili distinct from a sweet-potato or white-bean pot. Brown the turkey well before the tomatoes go in so the finished chili doesn't taste of steamed ground meat. Keep the texture fairly thick for freezing. It loosens a little after thawing, and a short uncovered simmer brings it back without turning the beans into mush. Pack complete portions with beans and turkey in each rather than freezing the broth separately from the solids.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 lbs 93% lean ground turkey
  • 2 poblano peppers
  • 2 cans 15 oz each pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1 medium yellow onion diced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp fine salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 cup water reserved for reheating

Method
 

  1. Broil poblanos on a metal pan 6 inches from the heat for 8 to 10 minutes, turning until skins blister. Cover in a bowl for 10 minutes, then peel, seed and chop.
  2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown turkey and onion for 8 to 10 minutes, breaking up the meat and cooking it to 165°F.
  3. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and oregano and stir for 30 seconds. Add chopped poblanos, beans, tomatoes, salt, pepper and broth.
  4. Simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring, until the chili is thick enough to mound slightly on a spoon. Stir in lime juice.
  5. Freeze after cooking: divide among 6 shallow containers, refrigerate within 2 hours and chill fully. Leave 1 inch of headspace, seal, label and freeze for up to 3 months.
  6. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring and adding reserved water as needed, until the chili reaches 165°F.
  7. Serve one-sixth of the pot per portion, simmering uncovered briefly if the thawed chili is looser than you prefer.