If you are looking for a filling and tasty dinner, then this Low Calorie Chili is the recipe for you!
It is simple to make and can be batch cooked and frozen in single sized portions for an easy low calorie dinner any day of the week.
It is made with ground turkey breast but you really wouldn't know! The addition of lots of chili flavourings and kidney beans make it a flavoursome and oh so filling dish!
I developed this chili recipe many years ago now and it's a recipe that I come back to time and time again.
It's versatile - I serve it with rice, or heaped on a baked potato or spooned into a tortilla wrap. I even eat it on its own from a bowl, topped with yogurt and sliced pepper!
Whichever way it's served, it's delicious and very filling.
As I mentioned above, this recipe is made with ground turkey breast but you really wouldn't know to taste it! The turkey is what keeps the calories so low, but the flavourings that I add make it seem like a 'traditional' beef chili recipe.
Why brown the meat in the oven?
You will notice from the recipe that I brown the ground turkey breast in the oven & there are a couple of reasons that I do this!
To brown any ground meat in a skillet you need to use quite a bit of oil & this hikes up the amount of calories per serving. I obviously didn't want to do that!
Using smaller amounts of oil or calorie controlled spray oil to brown this amount of meat in a skillet has its problems - bits stick to the bottom of the pan and burn and I didn't want to do that either!
So, by browning the meat in the oven and the onions in a little oil in the skillet meant that I kept the calories from oil to the minimum but also had nicely browned meat and onions!
Ingredients used
- Ground turkey breast (or ground chicken breast if you prefer)
- Onions
- Garlic
- Calorie controlled spray oil
- Ground cumin
- Paprika
- Crushed chili flakes
- Ground black pepper
- Beef stock cube / bouillon cube
- Chopped tomatoes
- Tomato paste
- Kidney beans
Tips for making this chili
- Brown the ground turkey breast in the oven rather than in a skillet (picture 1).
- Fry the onions in a little calorie controlled spray oil (picture 2)
- For a 'drier' chili leave the mixture to cook for approximately 20 minutes. If you prefer a wetter chili then reduce the cooking time by five minutes or so (picture 3).
- Serve topped with a tablespoon of fat free natural yogurt and some slice peppers.
Storage suggestions
This chili is suitable for freezing. It keeps in the freezer for 2 - 3 months.
Let the chili cool completely before freezing.
Make sure that you defrost the chili fully before reheating & heat thoroughly before serving.
Serving suggestions
Serve with a 1 cup portions of white rice for an extra 200 calories
Serve on its own in a bowl and top with a dollop of fat free natural yogurt and some sliced peppers.
Pile the chili on top of a medium sized baked potato (approx 170g) for an extra 170 calories.
Low Calorie Chili
Ingredients
- 2¾ cups ground turkey breast (600g)
- 2 medium onions diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 10 sprays calorie controlled cooking spray
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ tablespoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried crushed chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 beef stock cube / bouillon
- 2¼ cups boiled water (500ml)
- 1 can chopped tomatoes (1 x 400g can)
- ¾ tablespoon tomato paste / tomato puree
- 1 can kidney beans (1 x 400g can - drained weight 240g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390°F / 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas mark 4
- Line the bottom of a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Spread the ground turkey breast over the parchment paper, breaking up any larger lumps and cook in the centre of the oven for 20 - 30 minutes. Stir every 8 minutes or & cook until all the meat has coloured.
- Make up the stock with stock cube and boiled water and set aside.
- Whilst the turkey breast is cooking, dice the onions and mince the garlic.
- Spray a large non stick skillet with low calorie cooking spray.
- Add the diced onions and heat over medium / low heat, stirring often. Cook until the onions have started to soften and brown. If the onion starts to stick to the bottom of the pan add a couple of tablespoons of water to loosen any stuck on bits. It should take 5 minutes or so for the onions to soften & start to colour.
- Add the minced garlic and saute for a further minute or so making sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cumin. paprika, dried crushed chili flakes and black pepper and stir to combine.
- Add the stock, chopped tomatoes and the tomato paste and stir.
- Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to the boil.
- Add the drained kidney beans and the cooked turkey breast and stir to combine all of the ingredients. Reduce the heat so that the mixture is simmering.
- Simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has reduced. A 'wetter' chili should take about 15 minutes a drier chili will take closer to 20 minutes.
- Serve with a dollop of fat free natural yogurt and some sliced peppers.
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