Turkey Chili with White Beans

Mr. Rockies' number one food is beans. He actually eats some every day for lunch and is the happiest person in the world if he gets beans for dinner as well. Chili is one of his favorite dishes, but it has to be up to his standards since he is quite the Chili snob.

When we first met and I started cooking for the two of us he politely held back his opinion about my chili. Germans are actually not known for their outstanding chili and he ate what I served, even if the chili contained bell pepper which he truly dislikes. That is true love, right?

Many years have passed and after moving to the US, I discovered the ingredients a good chili has to have. This mouthwatering turkey chili with white beans, cumin, oregano and ancho chili includes some of them. Surprising flavors are brought to the chili with the addition of chocolate and cinnamon. I use good canned beans and have served this chili with ground turkey and ground beef. My family liked both variations, however, the ground turkey will definitely have less calories.

This turkey chili with white beans is very quick to assemble. Be sure to make a big batch since it tastes even better reheated! I think it's an ideal dish to serve when you have a casual get together.

Serves 6-8.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds lean ground turkey (or ground beef)
1/4 cup chili powder (I used ancho chili)
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
3 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
3 15-ounce cans small white beans, rinsed, drained

Chopped red onion
Chopped fresh cilantro
Plain low-fat yogurt or light sour cream

Directions:

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions; sauté until light brown and tender, about 10 minutes. Add oregano and cumin; stir 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high. Add turkey; stir until no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon. Stir in chili powder, bay leaves, cocoa powder, salt and cinnamon. Add tomatoes with their juices, breaking up with back of spoon. Mix in stock and tomato sauce. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add beans to chili and simmer until flavors blend, about 10 minutes longer. Discard bay leaves. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat before continuing.)

Ladle chili into bowls. Pass red onion, cilantro and yogurt separately.

Adapted from epicurious.com.