Secret Ninja Chili Recipe
I call this chili recipe “Secret Ninja Chili” because it is sneaky and can pack a punch. Okay, maybe it doesn’t pack that big of a punch, but it sounds cool and I am a dork. And it “could” pack a punch if you add chili flakes to it. I don’t because my kids don’t like spicy stuff and totally wouldn’t touch it, but they love the name and they love this chili.
However, it IS sneaky because it is packed with vegetables – absolutely crazy loaded with them! They get all mixed up in the chili and you can’t even see them. Your kids will have no idea that they are in there and it will be impossible to pick them out.
But it really isn’t sneaky at my house because I don’t necessarily “hide” vegetables. I am just very good at marketing them. My kids believe that the spinach in their smoothies is what makes it taste so good. They know that the veggies in their chili makes it more tender and moist. They will beg to eat carrots. I proudly announce to the table when a particular food has been loaded with veggies and my kids consider it a selling point. They will praise my vegetables skills and get up during dinner to measure themselves to see if eating all those vegetables has made them taller in the past five minutes.
I consider this one feat the most impressive of my entire marketing career. I am seriously considering putting it on my resume. If I can get kids excited about vegetables, I can sell anything! However, don’t ask me to potty train anybody. I am the worst potty trainer in the world. Thank goodness that won’t be going on my resume.
But even if you don’t like veggies and your kids are terrified of them, they will love this. My son had three bowls of it last night. It is good! And the beans are great for you too!
When I make this, I prep a double recipe and freeze one. That way I can throw the second one in the slow cooker later when I need it. You just brown the turkey and add everything to a large gallon freezer bag.
NOTE: If your kids don’t like onions or other veggies, try chopping up the onions and celery really small and grating the zucchini. I have a handy little kitchen chopper that does this really fast and is easy to clean.
Ninja Chili Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound ground turkey
- 2 cans tomato soup (10.75 oz.)
- 1 can black beans, drained (15 oz.)
- 2 cans kidney beans, drained (15 oz.)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cups celery, chopped
- 1 cup zucchini, chopped
- 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. chili powder
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
Directions:
1. Brown the ground turkey in a skillet and drain out the oil once it is done.
2. Place the ground turkey, tomato soup, black beans, kidney beans, onion, celery, zucchini, and garlic into a slow cooker.
3. Season with the chili powder, cumin, ground coriander, dried oregano, and black pepper. Stir well.
4. Cover the slow cooker and allow to cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high. Be careful not to over cook it or it will become too dry.
