Turkey Sausage Jalapeño White Bean Chili
Turkey Sausage Jalapeno White Bean Chili is an easy, flavorful turkey chili with spicy jalapeño, butternut squash and hearty white beans!
My love of football goes deeper than just watching the game. When I was younger, I would play football after church every Sunday with my youth group, rain or shine, and I loved every minute of it. Tom boy? Yes — I would choose playing football over cheerleading any day of the week. 🙂
Yesterday was my son’s last flag football practice, so his coaches decided it would be fun to have a parents vs. kids game. My husband was working, and I was totally down with playing. Four parents showed up yesterday, so it was eight 7th & 8th graders vs. the four of us, and yeah, I was the only female. I jammed my finger closest to my pinky on my left hand on my first catch, and it immediately started swelling up. Seriously! I was ticked, but I kept playing. Smart move, probably not, but us parents showed those kids we still had it, and that was what counted. Not a swollen, black and blue finger, but bragging rights. Never mind the fact that we really felt our age today. 🙂
Why am I telling you all this? Because my typing skills are suffering from “the BIG game”. My finger is so swollen I can’t bend it, so typo’s are abundant. Was it worth it? Oh yeah. And at least it was my left hand. 🙂
Now, I’d chopped all my ingredients and cooked this chili before the game, and also whipped up another batch of my Buttery Maple Skillet Cornbread, so it was all waiting for us when we got home. Was I ever glad I didn’t have to lift a finger when I got home….no pun intended there.
This chili was beyond my wildest dreams good, too. I started making it without any real plan, but sometimes the best things happen when you wing it. This was the first time I made chili with turkey sausage, and talk about extra flavor without even trying! I buy Diestel brand turkey sausage, and I love it for pasta sauce, etc. because there are no casings to deal with. Gotta love that.
I had butternut squash on the counter, some red and yellow bell peppers, jalapeños, and a gorgeous red onion calling my name. I tossed in the holy trinity in spices — chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, because every chili has to have them, do they not? I opted not to go the tomato sauce route because my kids aren’t fans, so iI used chicken stock instead, with just a tablespoon of tomato paste to give it just enough tomato flavor. I mashed half of the beans with some chicken broth to thicken the chili, and that was that.
When the chili was done, I stirred in some fresh chopped cilantro and lime juice, and my masterpiece was complete. Rarely do I taste something and think it’s perfect, but this wow’d me! I honestly think it’s the best pot of chili I’ve made, because it’s so robust and flavorful, and the ingredients just compliment each other 100%. I loved it so much, I didn’t even care about eating a wedge of my cornbread at all, and just ate some more chili. This satisfies the heartiest of appetites, especially after a hard game of football. 🙂
See my other Soup and Chili recipes
Serve this turkey sausage chili with these recipes:
Butternut squash cornbread muffins
Turkey Sausage Jalapeño White Bean Chili
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 16 ounces turkey sausage casings removed I used Diestel brand, which was free of casings)
- 1 medium ed onion peeled, halved, and coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small red bell pepper seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 small yellow bell pepper seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 jalapeño seeded and finely chopped
- 1 cup butternut squash chopped into 1" cubes
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 15 ounces cannelini beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chicken stock divided
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in large pot or Dutch oven. Add the turkey sausage, breaking up with wooden spoon, stirring occasionally until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Set aside.
- Add the red onion to the pan, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes, adding more oil if the pan becomes dry. Add the garlic, bell peppers, and jalapeños, and sauté for 2 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the butternut squash and spices, and sauté for 1 minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then add 1 3/4 cups of the chicken stock. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup chicken stock in a bowl with half of the beans, and mash. Stir this into the pot and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer on low heat until the butternut squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Add the turkey sausage and remaining beans, and simmer another 10- 15 minutes more.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!
Notes
- Total time above includes chopping your own butternut squash. You can save time by buying it pre-chopped!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
41 Comments on “Turkey Sausage Jalapeño White Bean Chili”
Oh no! Your finger!! haha but at least it was totally worth it 🙂 Sounds like a fun game!
And I love the sound of this chili – I am allll about making a big pot of chili on sundays these days. This looks delicious!
I’m so accident prone these days, I’m surprised I didn’t pull something. It coulda been worse! At least I had some great comfort food when I got home. 🙂
This chili looks so amazing! I have been trying to make a ‘blog-worthy’ chili a few times lately, and it’s just never quite right…but I’ve been going the tomato sauce route. I love that you added turkey sausage, bet it adds a ton of extra flavor! I will have to keep my eyes peeled for turkey sausage 🙂
Thank you, Denise! I make chili all the time, but I’m with you, making them blog-worthy is a whole different story. Sometimes winging it without a plan pays off… I was pleasantly surprised with this one! 🙂
Eeeek, and OUCH! So sorry to hear about your finger Marcie! I can just imagine your typing nightmare! You deserve every single bragging right! 🙂 Ssssoooo glad you pre-made the chili! It looks FABulous, and I love that it’s made with turkey, and you know how I love the jalapenos! Pinned!
Thanks, Kristi — I’m actually able to use my finger typing today, so maybe it’s on the mend! It still doesn’t look too great, but at least I can use it. haha Thanks for the pin, and have a great weekend! 🙂
I’m so sorry about your finger! But this chili looks so very delicious! My mother in law gets really into sports. I can only imagine what she’ll be like if Lulu decides to play!
Thank you, Monet, and it sounds like your mother-in-law will be into the parent-kid games, too! haha Hope you have a lovely weekend!
This looks delicious!! I love white chilis and the turkey sausage and jalapeno sound so yummy.
Thank you, Rachel! I think white chilis are my favorite, and the turkey sausage and jalapeño gave this one so much flavor. 🙂
I buy my butternut squash pre-chopped so this really is a quick meal! Yum 🙂
Yes, it will be that much faster to prepare (and enjoy) with pre-chopped squash! 🙂
Yum! Jalapeños add such a nice flavour to meals don’t they. I use so much of them, I should start growing my own.
I’ve just recently started sneaking jalapeños into my dishes because my family is a bit anti-spice. This didn’t seem to bother anybody, so I’m going to keep on using them. They really do add so much flavor! 🙂
I hope your finger heals quickly, Marcie! How fun though that you got to play with your son! And this chili looks so amazing! I absolutely love the flavors in here. I’ve never had a turkey sausage chili before. Such a great dish for this time of year!
Thank you, Gayle, and I think my finger is on the upswing today, because I can actually use it typing! I’d never had turkey sausage in chili before and I’m surprised I never thought to do this before because I use it in pasta a lot! There’s so much more flavor than plain ground turkey. 🙂
It’s always something with me as I get older…my husband even told me to “be careful” in the game. He knows too well I could pull something or get overzealous! haha The mother/daughter flag football game you and your mom play sounds fun, too! Thanks for the pin, and you have a great weekend! 🙂
This chilli looks amazing, Marcie! Love the addition of turkey sausage, so good!
Thank you, Jessica! The turkey sausage was certainly a winner here! 🙂
I’m yet to try white beans! the chili looks great, perfect comfort food 🙂
I love white beans in chili as much or more than kidneys, etc. Chili is definitely one of the best comfort foods! 🙂
Yikes, oh no, hope your finger is okay and heals soon Marcie! Way to go on holding your own especially being the only female 🙂 At least you had this amazing chili to come home to 🙂 It looks and sounds amazing especially with the turkey sausage and butternut squash! So comforting and a perfect meal for after a hard game of football 🙂
Thank you, Kelly. The swelling is down considerably today, so I think it’s on the upswing! I’m so thankful I cooked dinner before I left. 🙂 Hope you’re having a great weekend!
OWWW!!! I am so sorry about your finger. But I admire your nerve for getting in there and holding your own in a football game! That is beyond my dedication as an active mom!! Now where were you with this recipe the other day when I was looking for a unique chili recipe!?! 😉 I am going to have to add this one to my meal plan in the next couple weeks for sure! 🙂
Thank you, Renee, and luckily my finger is feeling a lot better today! I need to act my age CLEARLY. 🙂 Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Good game Marci, and hope that your pinky is doing better! A few weeks ago we went bowling and my thumb got stuck, but it was worth it too! Your chili looks really healthy and seriously delicious 🙂
Cheers,
J
Thank you, Judit, and my finger is feeling a lot better! And ouch — getting your thumb stuck in a bowling ball sounds painful! Sports are dangerous, aren’t they?!
Sometimes it is all about the bragging rights! I bet it felt good to warm up with some chili and cornbread muffins!!! Just thinking about it makes my stomach growl. Pinned!
Chili and cornbread always makes me feel better…and thanks for the pin! 🙂
I don’t love watching football, but when I was younger I used to love throwing the football around and I’m really trying to enjoy watching it more these days! Especially since my husband is obsessed 🙂 I love any excuse to make chili though, so I guess I like football by default. I was just thinking about how good a white bean chili would be and this one looks great!
It’s hard to get away from football come game day — if you can’t beat it, join it, right? 🙂 Hope you had a great weekend!
I have a strong love for anything with jalapenos, but white beans too? You win my heart lady!
I’m glad you approve, Pamela! 🙂
It sounds like you’ve created a bit of a winner recipe here, Marcie … I love using turkey instead of beef in these kinds of dishes. I’m so impressed that you managed to write this post with your swollen pinky, too. I’ve done that before (playing hockey) and it’s no fun at all! At least you got to have fun playing footie, though!!
Thank you, Helen, and you’re a real champ to play hockey — that it one brutal sport! And I did have a great time playing “footie”, and my finger is almost better! 🙂
This soup looks spectacular! I can’t wait to see this.
Thank you, Jocelyn! 🙂
This chilli looks so so good.. love the idea of using turkey in Chili.. Comfort food at its best.. yummm!!
Thank you, Arpita! 🙂
White Bean Chili!! sounds yummy!
Thank you — we really enjoyed it!