Mexican Harvest Turkey Chili - A simple to make healthy and hearty recipe that is packed with flavorful and seasonal ingredients. (gluten and dairy-free)

Okay, I know I just posted a cozy stew recipe last week but as I get older, the need for comfort fall foods (soups, stews, chili’s) has increased so sorry, not sorry! I have needs too, haha!

Just like the veggie beef stew, this chili recipe is a simple and easy way to load up on things healthy while being super affordable.

Harvest vegetables like butternut squash, yams, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, pumpkin while adding a Mexican twist that also includes harvest ingredients like green chilies, poblano peppers, fire roasted tomatoes, beans, and corn - you are truly getting the best of both worlds!

When it comes down to flavor, this chili recipe is a perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy. But if you lean more towards spicy, you can refer to the notes section at the bottom.

Now, let’s talk about garnishes and sides! For this recipe, I used chopped cilantro, extra roasted poblano slices, pickled jalapeno slices, and avocado. Feel free to follow the same vibe or add plain greek yogurt, green onions, tortilla chips or sliced corn tortilla strips, cotija, lime juice or roasted pepitas!

Pumpkin cornbread muffins are the star side dish for this chili recipe (recipe coming this week!). In the meantime, you can most definitely use the best gluten-free skillet cornbread recipe (*cough*) add sliced jalapenos to the batter!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

Mexican Harvest Turkey Chili - A simple to make healthy and hearty recipe that is packed with flavorful and seasonal ingredients. (gluten and dairy-free)

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Prep Time: 15 min Cook Time: 45 min Total servings: 6-8

Ingredients

1lb ground turkey
3 cups total (butternut squash, yams, and/sweet potatoes)
peeled, seeded, cut into ½ inch cubes
2 cups low sodium chicken bone broth
1 can (4 oz) green chilies
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, with liquid
1 can northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium white onion, diced
1 poblano pepper
1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup pumpkin puree
1-3 Tbsp taco seasoning of choice
1 Tbsp tomato paste
S+P

Garnish: jalapeno slices, avocado, cilantro

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Depending on if you are using butternut squash, yams and/or sweet potatoes (I did 1 ½ cup each butternut squash and yam cubes) arrange in a single layer on a prepared baking sheet. Drizzle or spray cooking oil (I like using avocado or coconut oil) over cubes, season with salt, pepper, and cinnamon (optional but so worth it!) and toss to coat. Make room on the baking sheet for the poblano pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes until veggie cubes are tender.
While the veggies are roasting in the oven, heat cooking oil in a large pot over medium high heat.
Add onion and garlic and cook for about 2-4 minutes until fragrant.
Add in the ground turkey, salt and pepper and stir to break it up into small pieces, mixing with the sauteed onion and garlic.
Once turkey is cooked through, add the fire roasted tomatoes, green chilies, tomato paste, broth, pumpkin puree, and spices and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cover the pot for 20 minutes.
At this point, the roasted veggies and pepper should be done. Transfer roasted vegetables to the chili pot along with the beans and allow the poblano pepper to cool before handling.
Once roasted poblano pepper is cooled (the skin should appear blackened and blistered) carefully peel away or rub off and discard the charred skins. Cut the stem off, de-seed, chop and add to the chili pot.
Add the frozen corn to the pot and continue to simmer until liquid has reduced to desired “chili” consistency. At this point you will want to adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm with favorite garnishes and serve with cornbread!

Notes

1| You can really play with the produce in this chili recipe! For example, choose butternut squash, yams, sweet potatoes or a combo - I just use whatever is leftover from batch cooking! Not a northern beans fan? Try pinto, garbanzo, black beans or tri-beans instead.

2| Need more spice? Play around with pepper of choice or add a spicy taco seasoning blend, hot sauce or add jalapenos to your cornbread if adding on the side.