Sweet & Spicy Bacon & Turkey Chili

I think we can all agree that it is officially fall in the midwest! With fall comes cooler weather, football, and delicious food. There are few things better on a perfect fall day than a big bowl of chili with all of the fixings. This chili is sweet, savory, AND spicy. YUM.

You may have never noticed that traditional chili ingredients are often full of added-sugar. Take a look at the ingredients of beef bouillon, stock, and chili beans and you’ll notice cane sugar, molasses, honey, and high fructose corn syrup. “Why is sugar needed in these savory-tasty foods?,” you ask. Good question. It’s not and there’s a way around it. This chili recipe is full of whole food ingredients that, when cooked together, taste heavenly! Sweet, savory, and spicy goodness that your taste buds will thank you for! Enjoy!

Diets This Recipe Is Compliant With

This recipe, ungarnished, is paleo, Whole30 compliant, nut-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and sugar-free.

Sweet & Spicy Bacon and Turkey Chili

• Author: Sara Nelson
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Every bite of this Sweet & Spicy Bacon & Turkey Chili is sweetened with cacao and cinnamon and spiced from cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, and jalapeño. Plus a whole lot of of bacon-y goodness!

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Ingredients

• 12 slices sugar-free bacon, cut into small pieces
• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 jalapeño, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp pink Himalayan salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 4 bell peppers, assorted colors, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 ribs celery, diced
• 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 6 oz can tomato paste

Toppings:

• Greek yogurt
• Avocado
• Scallions
• Shredded sharp cheddar
• Cilantro

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Instructions

1. Crisp bacon in large pot over medium heat.
2. Remove crisped bacon from pot with tongs and place in bowl.
3. Add ground turkey and jalopeño to pot to cook in bacon fat.
4. Once turkey is cooked throughout and jalopeño has softened, add all dry spices, cover, and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add vegetables, stir, cover, and simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Stir in diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
7. Cover and reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 40 minutes.
8. Remove chili from burner and stir in 3/4 of bacon crumbles.
9. Garnish with Greek yogurt, remaining bacon crumbles, avocado slices, scallions, and cilantro.

Keywords: chili