Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili
Try this Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Crock Pot Sweet Potato and Quinoa Turkey Chili recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 large shallot or 1 small onion chopped
- 3 cups chicken broth (plus extra for reheating)
- 15 oz can baked beans (i like sweet baked beans)
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed
- 1 large sweet potato (about 1lb ) peeled and chopped small
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- toppings: shredded monterey jack cheese chopped avocado, tortilla chips, green onions
- Carbohydrate 152.283508341983 g
- Cholesterol 294.8350405 mg
- Fat 28.3704334513189 g
- Fiber 19.1707834091266 g
- Protein 132.30421895094 g
- Saturated Fat 6.18207568213398 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (697g)
- Sodium 484.975898743166 mg
- Sugar 133.112724932857 g
- Trans Fat 3.45265380610581 g
- Calories 1410 calories
Step-by-step
- Add ground turkey and shallot to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season liberally with salt and pepper then cook until no longer pink, breaking turkey up as it cooks.
- Add garlic then cook for 30 more seconds then add to a 6 quart crock pot.
- Add remaining ingredients, except toppings, into crock pot then cook on high for 3 hours, or low for 5-6 hours, or until sweet potatoes are tender.
- Serve with toppings.
- May need to add more chicken broth when reheating.
Starch gelatinization dictates the final consistency of any slow-cooked grain and tuber combination, requiring precise moisture control during long heat applications. When raw quinoa absorbs liquid alongside cubed sweet potatoes over four hours, the starches swell and burst without scorching because the surrounding tomato base maintains a high water activity. Browning the ground turkey and minced shallot in a skillet first develops Maillard compounds that a standard 6-quart crock pot operating at moist-heat temperatures cannot achieve on its own.
Managing Density and Viscosity
Quinoa acts as a natural thickening agent as its germ separates from the seed coat, releasing water-soluble proteins that bind free liquids into a cohesive stew. Should the mixture become overly thick during the three to five hours of cooking, dilute it gradually with warm chicken broth until the desired fluid suspension returns. Because slow cookers vary in their thermal output, monitor the sweet potato cubes around the three-hour mark to ensure they reach a tender bite without dissolving into mush.
- Rinse the raw quinoa thoroughly through a fine-mesh sieve to remove bitter saponin coatings before it enters the pot.
- Adjust the total cooking liquid if substituting a different root vegetable that lacks the starch content of a 1-pound sweet potato.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to four days, incorporating extra broth during reheating to restore fluidity lost to continued starch absorption.
