This turkey and white bean chili is a one pan, high protein dinner made with lean turkey mince, cannellini beans, red pepper and warm spices, finished with a spoonful of Greek yogurt and a squeeze of lime. Each bowl has around 47g of protein and 11g of fibre for 360 calories, and it’s on the table in about 35 minutes.
This is the chili I make when I want something cosy that doesn’t leave me needing a nap afterwards. It’s a white chili, so there are no tinned tomatoes, just turkey, beans and a good hit of cumin and oregano. That makes this turkey white chili lighter and quicker than a classic chilli con carne, and it’s the healthy turkey chili I come back to all year round.
- One pan, so hardly any washing up
- 47g of protein per bowl
- Freezes brilliantly for meal prep
What goes into a white bean turkey chili
Lean turkey breast mince is what makes this a high protein chili without it feeling heavy, so brown it well, because colour is flavour. Cannellini beans turn it into a proper turkey chili with white beans: they make it creamy and bring most of the fibre, and they’re why this is my favourite cannellini bean chili. Red pepper and onion add sweetness and bulk. Cumin, oregano, chilli powder and a pinch of cinnamon are the whole flavour base, so don’t skip the cinnamon, it’s the bit people always ask about. Chicken stock cooks down into a thick sauce rather than a soup, and Greek yogurt and lime on top cool everything down.
A note from your nutrition coach
Let the stock reduce by half before you serve. It’s tempting to eat straight away, but the beans soak up the liquid and thicken the sauce, so you get a proper white bean chili texture without adding flour or cream. If you like it even thicker, mash a few beans against the side of the pan. And check your stock cube says gluten free, because some contain wheat.
If you love a ground turkey chili for meal prep, my Sausage and Lentil One Pot and Healthy Shepherd’s Pie are made for batch cooking too, and there are plenty more ideas in my High Protein Recipes collection.
Alex 🙂
Turkey and White Bean Chili (High Protein, One Pan)
An easy turkey chili with cannellini beans, red pepper, cumin and oregano, cooked in one pan in 35 minutes. This healthy turkey chili recipe has 47g of protein per bowl and freezes well for meal prep.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Spray a large non-stick pan with a little olive oil and set it over a medium heat.
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Add the turkey mince and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until it is no longer pink.
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Add the chopped red pepper and onion and cook for 5 minutes, until they start to soften.
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Tip in the drained cannellini beans.
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Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a gentle boil.
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Add the cumin, oregano, cinnamon and chilli powder and stir them through.
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Turn the heat down and simmer, stirring now and then, until the liquid has reduced by half and the chili has thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes. Stir through most of the coriander.
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Divide between two bowls and top each one with Greek yogurt, a pinch of smoked paprika, the rest of the coriander and a lime wedge.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 ServingCalories:360kcalTotal Fat:4.7gSaturated Fat: 1.1gSodium:702mgTotal Carbohydrate:29.9gDietary Fiber: 11.3gSugars: 11.1gProtein:47.5g
Note
- Use olive oil spray rather than poured oil, it's all the pan needs and keeps the fat down.
- Check your stock cube is gluten free if you need this turkey white bean chili to be gluten free.
- A low salt stock cube roughly halves the sodium, most of the 700mg per bowl comes from the stock.
- Swap the cannellini beans for black beans or butter beans for a different turkey bean chili.
- Keeps in the fridge for 3 days and in the freezer for 3 months.
- Nutrition is per bowl, calculated with fat free Greek yogurt and a standard stock cube.
- This also works as a ground turkey white chili with any turkey mince, and turkey thigh mince makes a richer ground turkey and white bean chili.
