Healthier Chili Recipe

Got this recipe from my cousin Stella the last time I visited Texas. It's so yummy and many of the traditional ingredients are made with healthier substitutions so you can feel a little less guilty about enjoying it! When I came to Minnesota and brought my Frito-Pie to lunch my co-workers looked at it oddly. I was appalled... how can you go through childhood not eating a Frito-Pie?! Later I learned that Frito-Pie is a very Texan thing. For all my fellow Texans, this brings you back to the good ol' school days. For the non-Texans who were deprived of this as a child, add a generous amount of Frito Corn Chips into a bowl. Add the chili and top with cheddar cheese. Nom nom nomtombout?

Ingredients:

- 1 (white or yellow) onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

- 1 lb. 93/7 ground turkey

- 1 can Ranch Style Beans with Jalapeños

- 1 can tomato paste

- 1 can Rotel (mild) diced tomatoes and green chiles

- 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (you can keep adding sauce if you need to make it for more or less servings)

- 1-2 tsp of ground cumin

- garlic powder to taste

- pepper to taste

- brown sugar to taste (if you like it a little sweet)

- 2 chicken sausage links (cut into pieces)

Step 1:

Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Brown onions and garlic.

Step 2:

Add ground turkey. Add seasonings: cumin, pepper, garlic powder, and brown sugar. Cook until brown.

Step 3:

Add beans, tomato paste, pasta sauce, rotel tomatoes, chicken sausage. Mix ingredients. Heat to boil then reduce to lowest setting and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Tip:

- For extra spiciness, substitute the Mild Rotel Tomato and Chiles with the Hot.

Voila! Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, Fritos, bread, toast, etc! You can also add crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper for an extra kick. Enjoy!