March 7, 2025
Hana Garner, our Volunteer Recruitment Manager, grew up in Austin, Texas. She recalls childhood memories involving Texas Longhorn Football. Barbecue and tacos are great game-day foods, but a classic bowl of hearty chili was a Garner family favorite.
Growing up on tailgates and family gatherings that involved watching football, Hana always wanted to carry the nostalgia and warmth of her family's chili into her future. But, as it turns out, Hana was never really a fan of an all-beef chili. In meeting her partner, who is from the Midwest, the two bonded over the comfort meal and embarked to create their own chili recipe to share.
Her partner's family made a chili containing macaroni noodles, and how could it not? The Midwest loves its Chili Mac. Hana and her partner exchanged family recipes and experimented with ingredients to make a recipe they could love together. "I wanted to preserve the comfort chord that warm chili hits," she expresses.
Hana's recipe uses ground turkey in place of red meat. Die-hard Texas chili fans may want to plug their ears because this delicious chili also has beans. Beans are a great source of fiber and iron, though.
After much experimentation, Hana found that her and her partner much enjoyed a recipe for Turkey and Sweet Potato Chili, sourced from an Instagram blog. Hana shares that the veggie-packed chili is perfect on a chilly day, and pairs well with Fritos to make a Frito Pie.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion (sweet or yellow) or a shallot, chopped
- 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 poblano pepper
- 1 lb of ground turkey
- 1 cup of chicken or veggie broth
- 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 can of beans drained (kidney or black)
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
- Chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Step 1: Cut and saute a medium-sized onion in a large pot until translucent (for 5 minutes)
Step 2: Add the minced garlic, diced poblano and ground turkey to the pot. Cook, breaking the meat up and stirring for 5 minutes or until the turkey turns white on the outside.
Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients except for the salt and pepper. Give it a good stir.
Step 4: Increase the heat and bring the chili to a boil.
Step 5: Reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot with the lid slightly open. Let cook for 15 to 25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes have softened. Stir occassionally.
Step 6: Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 7: Serve as is or with toppings of your choice. Hana recommends shredded sharp cheddar, Greek yogurt, and avocado. Hana sometime adds tortilla chips or corn chips. Trader Joe's Corn Chip Dippers are her favorite.
This recipe is a variation of one of Hana's favorite recipe blogs, Salt and Lavender.
Meals on Wheels Central Texas works to alleviate hunger and social isolation among older adults and people living with disabilities in the Greater Austin region. Meals on Wheels, our signature home-delivered meal program, is our most recognized program, but we offer a wide selection of life-enriching programs.
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