Ask and you shall receive. I shared a few photos and videos this past weekend of a slow cooker chili that I was making, and had a ton of requests for my recipe. I’ll be honest, this healthy, gluten free chili recipe is usually thrown together with whatever I have in my pantry and fridge. BUT, this time I measured (for the most part).
There’s something so fantastic about slow cookers. Turn it on, throw in your ingredients, and BAM. You’re done. No thinking or constantly watching the stove required. Just an easy way to feed your family! We’ve gotten another cold front that has taken us by surprise, so warm comfort foods are majorly on the menu. And I love being able to get on with my day while my house fills with the delicious smells coming from the crock pot.
Gluten Free Sweet Potato, Quinoa Crock Pot Chili Recipe
What is your favorite comfort food? For me, it’s chili. When my husband and I were just two young kids, working crazy schedules and trying to get by every month, this chili recipe was my way of sharing love. I make quite a big portion so that we always have leftovers for lunches, and its super easy to throw in the freezer to save for later, too. Every time I make this healthy slow cooker chili, it reminds me of the two of us, living on love and bundled up in multiple layers while eating on the couch (our first house was so small we didn’t have a dining room, so we ate all our meals on our couch at the coffee table in the living room!).
A few things to note about this healthy, gluten free sweet potato, quinoa and ground turkey crockpot chili:
This crock pot chili recipe is super healthy. I switch things up occasionally for meatless meals, and will leave out the ground turkey. Doing this makes the slow cooker dinner idea vegetarian and gluten free – just remember to sub out the chicken bone broth for veggie stock and your meatless meal recipe is all good. I’m not well versed enough in paleo and vegan to know if this crock pot chili recipe would fall under either category, but I do know its freaking delicious. And healthy. And filling. So basically, you’re welcome in advance.
It may seem a little too “soupy” at first. But have no fear! As the chili cooks in the crock pot, the quinoa will soak up a TON of liquid. At the end of your 4-8 hours, your soupy looking chili will be a fantastic thick and hearty consistency.
Ideas for serving the sweet potato quinoa chili:
Y’all know I love me some avocado. Call me basic, but I can’t get enough. I LOVE adding a giant dollop of guacamole, or cubing up some avocado and sprinkling it on top. If you wanna get really crazy and have a super fantastic meal that literally quenches every craving you can think of, grab some corn tortilla chips too. Then you’re really cooking. You’ve got crunchy, smooth, salty, (slightly) sweet, savory. YUM.
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 onion, diced
- Minced Garlic (I used 3 heaping spoonfuls)
- 1 large sweet potato, cubed
- 1 cup chopped peppers (*optional! I like to use sweet or bell)
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 3 cups chicken bone broth
- 1/2 cup dry, uncooked quinoa
- 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- Brown onion and ground turkey in a pan - I cook the turkey until the outside is just browned, but its still a little pink. It will finish cooking in the crockpot, but this way the flavor really gets amped up.
- Add sweet potatoes to bottom of crockpot. Pour onion and ground turkey over sweet potatoes. Add all other ingredients, *except beans and corn*.
- Cover, and set on high for 4 hours.
- In the last 30-60 minutes, add beans and corn (*optional, see note below).
- Leave on warm until ready to serve!
- Serve with avocado and / or tortilla chips. And enjoy!
- Leave out ground turkey and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken bone broth!
- I like to leave the beans and corn out until everything is almost done. You certainly don't have to, feel free to dump in everything at the same time. I just find if I add them in the last 30-60 minutes, they don't get mushy and hold their form a little better.
- If I forget to add them to the crockpot until we are ready to eat, I just dump in the beans and corn, stir it all up, and let it sit another 20-30 minutes. This is plenty of time for the corn to thaw and it all to cook together!
I Needed this recipe so bad! ahhh. Thank you lady for sharing this!
You are so welcome Toni! Enjoy 🙂