Butternut Squash Turkey Chili

November 20, 2017August 19, 2020 Red Rose & Honey2 Comments

Happy Monday! I haven’t been cooking much in the last week because my dad has been helping us with our recent kitchen mini-renovation. This weekend after finishing up the project, I was happy to get back to spending some time in the kitchen. I had most of the afternoon to cook, and I thought it would be a good day for chili. A few weeks ago, I made butternut squash chili that ended up tasting delicious. Although I’m always open-minded enough to try new recipes, I also enjoy crafting a go-to recipe to perfection. I decided to give the butternut squash chili another attempt and was again satisfied with how the recipe turned out. I was able to be productive around the house while also keeping my eye on the stove, but I’m sure it would work well in a slow cooker as an easy meal during the week. In comparison to a traditional hot and spicy chili, this recipe is much more mild, rich and sweet. I’m beginning to think I may prefer this chili recipe over the traditional kind (at least during the fall)!

Butternut Squash Turkey Chili

Servings: 4-6
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

1 lb Lean Turkey Chop Meat
28oz Tomato Sauce (unsalted)
16oz Frozen Butternut Squash (in cubes)
15.5oz Can of Black Beans, rinsed
8oz Frozen Corn Kernels
3 Bell Peppers, chopped
1 Small Onion, chopped
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 TBSP Tomato Paste
1.5 TBSP Chili Powder
1 TBSP Corn Starch (optional)
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Oregano
1/4 Tsp Black

Directions

Brown turkey chop meat in Dutch oven (or a medium/large pot) over medium heat.
If you turkey renders a lot of fat, you should drain it now.
Add chopped onions and garlic cooking for about 10 minutes.
Add bell peppers (I prefer using red, yellow and orange peppers) and cook for 10-15 minutes then add dry seasonings (except corn starch).
Once the veggies are softened and the mixture is well coated in seasonings, add the tomato sauce, tomato paste and corn starch (which helps with thickening). You could also use diced tomatoes instead of sauce.
Bring to a boil then simmer for 30-60 minutes (depending on your stove you may want to switch you pot to a smaller burner to control the heat over a longer period of time).
Bring back to medium/low heat and add the black beans, frozen corn and butternut squash and cook for about 15-20 minutes. I find if you add these three ingredients too early, they will get mushy.
Taste before serving and add additional salt or other seasonings, if needed.

I really love my Le Creuset Dutch Oven. It is definitely an item that I consider to be a bit of a splurge, but it has become a staple in my kitchen. It is very versatile, so I honestly find myself getting a ton of use out of it. In the three months I’ve had it, I have used it to cook chili, sauce, chicken pot pie, soups and stew. It has been really easy to clean, but I do make an extra effort to follow the manufacture cleaning instructions to keep it in tip-top shape.

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Gluten-Free and Easy Turkey Chili

September 11, 2017 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

It’s officially feeling like fall in NY which means it’s the perfect time to start making chili again. I usually opt for turkey over beef to keep the meal on the lighter side. Chili is a great meal because you can prep the ingredients ahead of time. You can cook this on the stove or in a slow cooker. The recipe below works well when you’re short on time {or forgot to take out the slow cooker before work}.

Ingredients

1 lb. Turkey Chop Meat

3 Bell Peppers {I like mixing red, yellow and orange}

1 Hot Pepper {Remove most of the seeds to control the heat}

1 Small Onion

3/4-1 Cup Finely Chopped Carrots

2 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 14.5oz Cans of Unsalted Diced Tomatoes

2 14.5oz Cans of Kidney Beans

2 TBSP Tomato Paste

1/2 Cup Water

2 TBSP Chili Powder

1 TSP Paprika

1 TSP Cumin

1 TSP Corn Startch

1/2 TSP Garlic Powder

1/4 TSP Salt

1/8 TSP Black Papper

Pinch Cayenne Pepper {Omit if you don’t like much spice}

Scallions

Directions

Brown turkey in a Dutch oven and drain excess fat.

Chop onion, carrots, peppers and garlic. If you’re meal prepping, you can store these in a Pyrex container for 1-2 days.

Add veggies to the cooked turkey, add a little olive oil if needed.

Rinse and drain beans then add to veggies and turkey.

Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, corn starch and seasonings.

Let simmer for at least 30-45 minutes.

Serve with scallions, toasted corn tortilla and toppings of your choice!

For a saucier chili add 1 can of unsalted tomato puree.

Quick Sauce Tomatoes Sauce with Pasta

August 10, 2017 Red Rose & HoneyLeave a comment

Quick Red Sauce with Spinach and Fresh Basil

I work full time and don’t usually get home until 6pm or later, but I really love making dinner for me and the hubs-to-be. I have really been enjoying trying new recipes and improving my cooking skills. Something I try to focus on is not wasting food and utilizing whatever ingredients I have in my kitchen.

Recently I threw together a quick sauce with gluten-free pasta {right now I’m using Barilla}. It was really easy and I liked switching up my sauce by using diced tomatoes instead of a smooth puree. I generally by Tuttorosso tomatoes because that is what my mom and Grandma use. I am trying to get better with measuring my ingredients, so I can more easily share my recipes, but I’m not there yet. These measurements are approximate. I always add carrots to my red sauce because they help to reduce the acidity. Usually, I will very finely chop my carrots in a food processor and cook them in the sauce. This time I used whole carrots and removed them before serving. I found this sauce to be more acidic than usual, but it only let it simmer for about 30 minutes or less. I think I will try to whole carrot method again, but when I have time to cook my sauce longer. This meal was so easy to put together – a great option for weeknights or when you’re short on time.

Ingredients
3/4 lb gluten-free (or regular) pasta of your choice
1 Large can of diced tomatoes
3 oz. tomato paste
1/4 medium yellow onion
3 baby carrots
1 large clove of garlic
4 cups of fresh spinach (the more the better)
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Fresh basil
Salt & Pepper

Directions
Finely chop then satuee onions and garlic over medium/low heat until onions are soft and translucent. Next, add salt and pepper cooking for another 1-2 minutes. Once your kitchen smells delicious add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, dried herbs and let simmer for 30-60 minutes. While sauce is simmering bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta as directed on the box.

When pasta is cooked and you are ready to eat remove the carrots from the sauce and turn off heat. Give the spinach a rough chop and add it it to the sauce. I think it’s important to add the spinach at the end and with the heat off because it wilts down so quickly. Next, toss in the cooked pasta and sprinkle with fresh basil.