Happy Monday, everyone – I hope you had a wonderful weekend!
I had a “me day” on Saturday which included getting together with some girlfriends in the morning then spending what felt like 2 hours at Whole Foods. Like I said – a “me day”! Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do, and when I get to leave the sweet babe at home and do it leisurely – umm, even better. ;)
We also grazed on Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili all weekend long. I made a huge batch of it Thursday evening and it just got better and better each time I reheated a bowl!
Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili packs a double protein punch from the addition of both lean ground turkey breast and quinoa. A little sweet from chopped sweet potatoes and a can of baked beans, plus a little heat from classic chili spices makes this dish ultra-tasty, healthy, and filling.
Plus, how you gonna hate on any recipe that calls for topping it with shredded cheese and tortilla chips? I must confess, making chili always gets me a little giddy as it’s basically an excuse to eat nachos. As if I needed an excuse, but you know what I mean!
Start by browning 1lb ground turkey breast with 1 chopped shallot in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I KNOW – I usually hate crock pot recipes that require cooking steps ahead of time, but it’ll only take a few minutes. Promise! Season liberally with salt and pepper then stir in 3 cloves minced garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
Add the cooked turkey to the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot then add 1 large peeled then chopped sweet potato (about 1lb) and a bevy of chili-inspired spices including chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and red chili pepper flakes.
Next add a 15oz can of baked beans (I like ’em sweet) plus 28oz crushed tomatoes.
Finally add 3 cups chicken broth and 1 cup uncooked, rinsed quinoa. The quinoa will continue to absorb chicken broth as the chili cools, so make sure you have some extra on hand for re-heating.
Mix the ingredients together then pop the lid on top and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. That’s it!
Ladle the hot and hearty chili into bowls then top with lots of shredded monterey jack cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and fresh avocado.
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Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili
Description
Gluten-free Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili packs a double protein punch with the addition of both lean ground turkey breast and quinoa.
Ingredients
- 1lb ground turkey
- 1 large shallot or 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth (plus extra for reheating)
- 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 15oz can baked beans (I like sweet baked beans)
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 large sweet potato (about 1lb,) peeled and chopped small
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- Toppings: shredded Monterey Jack cheese, chopped avocado, tortilla chips, green onions
Directions
- Add ground turkey and shallot to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season liberally with salt and pepper then cook until no longer pink, breaking turkey up as it cooks. Add garlic then cook for 30 more seconds then add to a 6 quart crock pot. Add remaining ingredients, except toppings, into crock pot then cook on high for 3 hours, or low for 5-6 hours, or until sweet potatoes are tender. Serve with toppings. May need to add more chicken broth when reheating.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Warm, and ultra-filling – I hope you’ll love this chunky chili with loads of good-for-you ingredients!
[…] Quinoa + sweet potatoes + turkey + a slow cooker looks like a very good idea. […]
This looks delicious!! Do you have an easy way of cutting up sweet potatoes? I always find challenging and tough to cut through :( thanks!!
Ugh, they are so hard aren’t they! My best piece of advice is to just use a good, sharp knife!
I made this recipe this past weekend and it turned out perfect!
I tried this recipe this past week. I went in hesitantly because of the non-traditional chili ingredients, but I’m happy to report it was very good! My family, who are sometimes a bit finicky thought it was good and would eat it again. Me, on the other hand, I thought it was amazing! I already had ground bison cooked up, so I used that and looked for the baked beans in the store with the least amount of sugar (my husband doesn’t like the sweetness). This is a keeper! Thanks!
Did you use yams or sweet potatoes? You’re picture looks like yams (orange) so it made me curious. Also, I usually like to cook over the low heat, but didn’t have time so did it on high for 3 hours and it definitely was not ready. The quinoa didn’t seem done and the sweet potatoes were still crunchy. Any thoughts?
It was a sweet potato. Hmmm, I’m not sure, I’d just cook it longer until the quinoa and sweet potato are cooked through. Different crock pots cook differently so yours might just need a little extra time!
[…] Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili – We did kidney beans instead…my husband love, love, loved this dish! […]
[…] thermos) Leftover Quinoa Sweet Potato Turkey Chili (made with black beans) from Iowa Girl Eats. That stuff is delicious. I got the recipe from Leigha’s […]
Do you have any tips of rinsing quinoa or could you do a back to basics on it? I tried using a cheese cloth lined strainer but felt like I lost so much quinoa because it stuck the the material. I tried scrapping it off with my hand and then it got stuck to my hand. It was a rough morning prepping the crock pot :/
I gave this recipe a try and it was a huge hit!!! Instead of the second salt and chili flakes I used Ghost pepper salt fusion, 1/4 teaspoon it added just a bite of spice without being over the top. Recipe was awesome!!! Thank you :)
[…] pictured: Crock pot sweet potato turkey chili from Iowa Girl Eats, sliced bell peppers for snacks, some leftover rotisserie chicken, greens for […]
[…] recipe was in order! It’s been cold and rainy all week here in Las Vegas, so when I saw this Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili dish on my favorite food blog Iowa Girl Eats I knew it would be perfect. Who doesn’t love a […]
This is an amazing recipe. I’ve already made it twice as my work lunches for the week!
Hi Kristin, I’m going to make this tomorrow, but I don’t have sweet potato so I’m using butternut squash instead. Do you know if it will cook enough in the slow cooker, or if I should cook it first?
Thanks!
Nope, that should be just fine! :)
[…] made a (lot of) adjustments to this crock-pot sweet potato quinoa chili – some inadvertent because my brain wasn’t […]
Try adding red bell pepper and fried polenta to the recipe. It’s delicious!
hi kristin! any chance you could substitute rice for the quinoa (maybe brown rice?) i’m not a big fan of quinoa.
Sure! I don’t think I’ve ever cooked rice in the crock pot before though, so I’d probably stir the cooked rice in when there’s 30 minutes or so left to cook.
[…] chili for dinner. I had a package of ground turkey that needed to be used. This led me to think of Iowa Girl Eats Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili . This recipe has been on my “to-make” list for months now. The recipe looks perfect as […]
I made the today and it is absolutely amazing!!! I opted for a can of rinsed black beans instead of baked beans! It was delicious!! Thanks for the recipe!
[…] dinner I’d planned to make on Sunday night because I couldn’t stop thinking about the sweet potato and quinoa turkey chili. Given how many times I’d talked myself out of making it, it was now or never. My only worry […]
Looks delicious! Currently in the crock pot right now :) I have a total of 7 people to feed tonight including myself. Also having bruschetta appetizer. Will that amount of chili be enough?
I think that should be enough!
Hi Kristin! I love your stuff!! Have you tried to freeze this chili? If so, what do you recommend? Thanks! :)
I have! Cool in the fridge then scoop into a freezer bag and freeze flat. Let thaw for 24 hours in the fridge then reheat with more chicken broth. :)
Thanks! How long do you think it stays for?
I’m making it right now. :)
Probably 3-4 months!
Hi there! I made your chili tonight and my boyfriend and I loved it!!! By any chance do you know a rough estimate of the nutritional info? I like to add everything into my fitness pal. Thank you!!! Delish recipe!!!
If you use a computer to do MyFitnessPal, there is a way to copy and paste recipes, and the site figures out the nutritional info for you.
LOVE THIS RECIPE! Is it possible to put the turkey in raw and let it cook with the chili?
Hi Kristin- I made this recipe a few weekends ago and it was a big hit! Thank you! Have you ever tried freezing the leftovers? Wasn’t sure how the quinoa would hold up.
Saw the answer in another post. Thanks!
[…] Slow Cooker Quinoa Turkey Sweet Potato Chili (from Iowa Girl […]
I made this last week and everyone loved it! Super easy to put together without a lot of prep. It is super filling so it lasted a long time for lunches and left-overs as well. Great, great recipe.
HELLO, I AM NEW TO YOUR SITE. LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF GREAT RECIPES, BUT I AM WONDERING IF YOU HAVE THE NUTRITION INFORMATION ON ANY RECIPES. I AM REALLY NEEDING THEM SINCE I COUNT CARBS AND DON’T WANT ANY SUGAR.
THANKS,
JOAN
I stumbled across this recipe on pinterest and my family just gobbled it up this evening. So tasty, it will be a regular in our fall and winter rotation.
Also, I think we are living parallel lives. My almost three-year old son is named Lincoln (we thought we were unique and ahead of the curve with that one), and I love to run (first marathon was last year) and travel too (most recently Italy, Hawaii and California).
Needless to say, I will be following you to keep up with your recipes and adventures. Happy cooking and thanks for putting your culinary ideas out there – it takes guts!
I keep looking at this recipe because it sounds so good. But I despise beans of all varieties. I’m wondering if it would be OK just to leave them out, or if should add some additional liquid…more tomatoes, maybe?
I might add 1/2 – 3/4 cup extra chicken broth to make up for the liquid in the baked beans.
[…] October now (and fall is my favorite season!!) I wanted to share a chili recipe with you – Iowa Girl Eats’ Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili. If you haven’t tried any of Iowa Girl Eats’ recipes, you are missing […]
Made this amazing chili for dinner tonight and it hit the spot! My husband liked it better than our standard go-to chili recipe. I love the sweet potatoes and quinoa in this. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hey Kristin! This recipe looks amazing. My sister already made it and loves it! This may be a dumb question, but I was just wondering if I were to split this recipe in half, does that mean I need to decrease the cooking time as well?
[…] Quinoa + sweet potatoes + turkey + a slow cooker looks like a very good idea. […]
[…] parents came up for part of the weekend from Calgary. They got to our place on Friday night. I made Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chilli for dinner. It was good, but I left out the onions and beans from the recipe and it seemed like it […]
This chili is amazing! Perfect balanced post workout meal! I love all of the healthy ingredients!
Hi! Do you think I could put the ground turkey in the crockpot uncooked? Since it’s supposed to cook for several hours….? Would anything go wrong doing that? Thanks!
Hmm, good question, I’ve never put raw ground meat in the crock pot so I can’t say for sure how it would turn out. Let us know if you try it?
[…] Crockpot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili from Iowa Girl Eats […]
[…] Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili […]
[…] in my house has been Skinnytaste’s 3 Bean Turkey Chili. I also want to try this recipe for sweet potato chili soon. I love when I can combine multiple of my favorite foods into one […]
[…] pot pie; or The Pioneer Woman’s lovely turkey and Swiss panini; or my friend Kristin’s crockpot quinoa turkey soup. Although Kristin’s recipe calls for ground turkey, I’m thinking chunks of leftover […]
Made this today with left-over smoked Thanksgiving turkey and loved it! Delicious! Thank YOU!
I am so glad I found this recipe! And seriously you are so on the mark! I was getting ready to brown the turkey thinking, I don’t want to do this step….and then I read where you said you usually hate crock pot recipes that require it. HA! Still, it was worth it! This was soooo good! I can honestly say one of the best if not my very favorite chili recipe! YUM
[…] This was a funky pot roast and my favorite new bread recipe, and Sweet Potato and Quinoa, Turkey Chili […]
[…] Tuesday (G) (W): Sweet Potato & Quinoa Turkey Chili […]
[…] saw this recipe on my friend’s time line and had to check it out! The recipe is from here. I changed a few of the seasoning based on my taste the overall premise is the same. The best […]
If I was in a pinch for time, could I make this on the stove top instead? Simmer for about an hour??
That could work! :)
This Chilli is delicious!!! I did make a couple changes~ I used black beans instead of baked beans (I read the recipe wrong, but it was yummy), I also used one additional cup of chicken broth this made it so I didn’t need to add anymore when it was reheated. Last but not least I did double the red pepper flakes. Thanks for sharing this, it is definitely a meal we’ll have again!!
[…] 11) Sweet potato and turkey chili from Iowa Girl Eats […]
[…] Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili […]