20 Minute Healthy Chili

This chili recipe is so delicious and health! The celery and onions really brighten this dish! It's healthy comfort food, for sure! Feel nice and full with just 275 calories per bowl! It's very easy and quick to make and perfect for meal prepping!

Serves 10

275 calories per serving

Nutrition per serving: 275 calories, 25.5 carb, 7.8 fat, 24.8 protein

Nutrition in entire recipe: 2742 calories, 255 carb, 78 fat, 248 protein

Ready in 20 minutes

Low Calorie/High Volume - so you stay fuller longer on fewer calories!

Ingredients

1.5 pounds ground turkey meat (93/7), (1386 cal, 0 carb, 75 fat, 183 protein)

1 cup diced onion (39 cal, 9 carb, 0 fat, 1 protein)

4 small celery stalks, thinly sliced (22 cal, 5 carb, 0 fat, 1 protein)

1- 15 oz can tomato sauce (102 cal, 23 carb, 1 fat, 5 protein)

2 cups chicken broth (or 2 cups water and 2 tsp chicken broth granules (10 cal, 0 carb, 0 fat, 0 protein))

1 can diced tomatoes (175 cal, 35 carb, 0 fat, 7 protein)

1- 6 oz can tomato paste (300 cal, 60 carb, 0 fat, 7 protein)

2 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder (44 cal, 8 carb, 2 fat, 2 protein)

2 teaspoons garlic powder (4 cal, 1 carb, 0 fat, 0 protein)

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3- 15 oz cans of kidney beans, rinsed and drained (660 cal, 114 carb, 0 fat, 42 protein)

Optional: top with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, sliced green onion, salsa, avocados (The calorie count will need to be adjusted based on what toppings you use.)

Instructions

In a large saucepot over medium high heat add the meat, onions, and celery. Cook for about 8 minutes while stirring, or until the meat is browned and no longer pink. Add the remaining ingredients, except the kidney beans. Bring to a simmer while occasionally stirring. Let it simmer for at least 5 minutes. Add kidney beans. Stir and remove from heat. 

Top each bowl with any optional items you like: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, sliced green onion, salsa, avocados, etc.

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Tree Nut Free, Peanut Free, Noom, Paleo, Keto

It comes together really quickly, which is perfect on days when you want to eat something with tons of protein FAST! 

Substitutions

If you don't have or don't like kidney beans, substitute for any type of canned beans you like- black beans, great northern beans, and pinto beans would all work well.

Meal Prep

This is a great meal prep recipe! Keep individual servings of this chili in a microwave safe dish in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you want to eat it, microwave on high for 2-3 minutes, stirring it one time in the middle of heating.

Health Benefits of Using Herbs and Spices

Everyone knows that herbs and spices are a great way to add flavor to your food without adding additional calories, but did you know that they also have many health benefits? 

Garlic

Garlic is one of the world's most potent natural medicines. The medical database of the National Institute of Health contains more than 3,200 studies on the therapeutic power of garlic. Many of those studies are about preventing, sower, and reversing cardiovascular disease-- the heart attacks and strokes that kill more Americans than any other health problem. 

Onion

Onions are rich in quercetin, a powerful antioxidant that has been shown to slow the growth of cancer cells, stow the growth of cancer  cells, stop cancer cells from migrating to other parts of the body, and force cancer cells to die in a variety of ways, such as cutting off their blood supply or activating cancer-killing genes. Additionally, the "Journal of Medicinal Food" showed that onions lower blood sugar. 

Chili Pepper (Cayenne)

All chilies have healing properties, but the hotter the chili the ore therapeutic it is. Two of the many awesome effects of chilies are it's a pain killer, and can help you burn more calories. 

Capsaicin is a proven pain killer. Capsaicin creams, which are approved by the FDA, can have a dramatic and long-lasting anesthetic effect on a variety of painful conditions. Additionally, several studies show that eating chilis increases the rate at which you burn calories. The effect can last for 20 minutes to six hours. As if that wasn't reason enough to eat more chilies, dozens of studies have found that capsaicin causes death to tumor cells in test animals and human cell cultures. 

Black Pepper

Researchers in Thailand tested piperine in animals with Alzheimer's-like brain changes and found the extract "Significantly improved memory impairment and neurodegeration {the destruction of brain cells]." Additionally, the "Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology" showed that piperine lowered blood pressure in laboratory animals. Piperine is an alkaloid found in black pepper. 

I wrote a very informative blog post about the health benefits of cooking with spices, go here.

For expert level learning about healing spices, I recommend the book "Healing Spices" by Bharat B. Aggarwal, PhD. Get it on Amazon here. 

Isn't this such a delicious, quick, and healthy chili?