Our Favorite Chili

It's football season. Which means it's chili season. That's just the way it works at our house. It's entirely possible we'll eat chili at least once a week from now until February, and no one will complain one bit. It's one of our favorite fall/winter meals. And this is our favorite recipe. Which doesn't feel much like a recipe at all since it's ridiculously simple, but it's also delicious, so why complicate things? :-)

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds ground lean ground turkey (93-95% lean; don't use 99% lean all white turkey meat as you'll need at least a little bit of fat to keep the meat juicy)

2 tablespoons homemade chili seasoning or 1 packet dry chili mix

1 (28 oz) can chunky crushed tomatoes

2 cans chili beans

1 jar of your favorite salsa (This is such a great trick for getting plenty of onions and peppers in there. It adds tons of flavor.)

any combination of your favorite garnishes: freshly shredded cheese, Frito's, sour cream, avocado, green onions, hot sauce, tortilla chips, diced onions, etc.

Instructions:

1. Cook turkey over medium heat until browned. Drain and return to pot.

2. Add chili seasoning and stir well to evenly coat meat and slightly toast seasoning. 

3. Add tomatoes, beans and salsa. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until heated through.

4. Serve with shredded cheese, Frito's, sour cream, green onions, and hot sauce. (or any of your favorite garnishes)

This freezes really well and tastes just as good leftover. Maybe even better.