Ever since I came up with my own cheap, easy, healthy, and delicious chili recipe, it’s just about all I eat at home. Here’s what I do:
In a 5 quart saucepan:
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, coarse dice
1 green bell pepper, coarse dice
1 yellow onion, coarse dice
1 package mushrooms (8-10 oz), coarse dice
Start heating the above on medium-high, stirring occasionally,
then in a large frying pan:
1 package lean ground turkey (1.5 lbs)
Brown the turkey and break it up into small bits.
When the veggies in the saucepan are soft, add the turkey and then:
2 cans low-sodium black beans (15 oz each)
1 jar Newman's Own Marinara (24 oz)
Stir up with a big wooden spoon and lower the heat to minimum, then add:
2 tsp. ground chipotle
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground corriander
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Stir thoroughly, cover, and let simmer for a few hours.
Makes approximately 3 quarts.
Serves 8 at 1.5 cup per servings.
The seasoning measurements are approximate – I really just throw “some” of each in. The rest of the amounts are based on not having anything left over – it’s all whole items and packages. In the process I only dirty the cutting board, one frying pan, and one sauce pan, which I then use to store it in the fridge until it’s gone.
It’s easy! The majority of the work is in cutting up the veggies, but I’m pretty good with a knife, so I can get all this to simmering in maybe 20 minutes and I’m cleaned up in another 5. Then I don’t need to cook again for several days. If I include re-heating time it probably works out to 5 minutes per meal.
It’s cheap! Total cost is under $16, and I get between 8 and 10 servings out of it. So let’s call it a $2 meal. This suits my yankee thriftiness.
It’s healthy! A nice 1.5 cup serving is 270 calories, with 24g protein, 6g fat, 30g carbs, and 7g fiber. It’s all whole, natural ingredients. All this fits in with my healthy eating goals.
It’s delicious! After a serving, I am completely sassified. You will also be completely sassified.
I love this stuff. Whenever I’m hungry at home, I just warm up a cup or so, and I’m good for hours.