Our Gluten Free Turkey Chili is a comforting, easy-to-make dish packed with flavor and vegetables—perfect for cold winter nights or game day gatherings.
This recipe, created by my husband, has become a family favorite. Chili is comforting and well-suited to all ages because the ingredients are already in bite-sized pieces—our kids have been asking for it since they were toddlers. We often change some vegetables based on seasonality or mood, and typically serve the chili over rice or quinoa for a complete meal.
As a busy parent, I appreciate recipes that lend themselves to meal prep and freezing; this gluten free turkey chili fits both needs. It does require a little more time up front than a quick weeknight meal, but the leftovers or frozen portions save a lot of time later. I also love that it’s loaded with vegetables, making it a simple, healthy way to add more produce into a family meal, especially for picky eaters.
Gluten Free Turkey Chili
Main Course
American
10 minutes
4 hours
4 hours 10 minutes
8
172 kcal
Jereann Zann – Celiac Mama
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 green pepper finely chopped
- 1 red pepper finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
- 2-3 stalks of celery finely chopped
- 2-3 large carrots finely chopped
- 1 (8 oz.) can of pinto beans
- 1 (8 oz.) can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- 1 (28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes
- 8-16 oz water
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
Instructions
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Prepare your slow cooker. If you don’t have one, this chili can also be made in a large oven-safe pot.
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In a large sauté pan over medium heat, brown the ground turkey. Once cooked through, transfer the turkey to the slow cooker.
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In the same pan, add the chopped celery and carrots and cook until the celery becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add these cooked vegetables to the slow cooker.
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Add the crushed tomatoes and the drained pinto and garbanzo beans to the slow cooker.
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Add the remaining chopped vegetables (onion, peppers, garlic) and the spices (cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper). Stir to combine so everything is evenly distributed.
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Pour in the water to reach your preferred consistency. Use more water (up to 16 oz) for a soupier chili or start with 8 oz and add more as needed.
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Cook on high in the slow cooker for 4 hours. If using an oven-safe pot, preheat the oven to 275°F and cook for about 5 hours.
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Optional: serve the chili over rice or quinoa and top with sliced avocado for added creaminess.
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Serve hot and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
When prepping, we often chop twice the amount of vegetables and freeze half in a labeled container so future batches are quicker. This recipe yields about 8 servings; with a family of four we typically have leftovers for lunches or freeze portions for busy nights.
Calories from Fat 18
Toddler tip: My toddlers like to eat foods separately, so I often serve the chili in one bowl and place rice or quinoa, avocado slices and any toppings on a divided plate. They enjoy combining everything themselves sometimes, which makes mealtime more fun.