Preconception · Dinner

Turkey & Black Bean Chili

Name: Turkey & Black Bean Chili
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 48 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 500 g ground turkey; 1 onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 tbsp tomato puree; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp cocoa powder; 400 g canned chopped tomatoes; 480 g canned black beans, drained; 300 ml chicken stock; 100 g Greek yogurt, to serve

A big, smoky pot of turkey and black bean chili with cocoa depth - doubles happily, freezes perfectly, feeds a week of you.

Weeknight chili with its paperwork in order: turkey browned hard, spices bloomed in the pan, and a simmer long enough that the pot tastes like a slow afternoon. As preconception cooking it works because it is dinner both of you would choose anyway - no special-diet theater, just a bowl pulling in the right direction.

Turkey & Black Bean Chili - A big, smoky pot of turkey and black bean chili with cocoa depth

Easy

Omnivore ProteinIronFiberZincAntioxidants

Ingredients

for 2 people

1 tbspolive oil
500 gground turkey
1onion, chopped
2garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsptomato puree
2 tspground cumin
2 tspsmoked paprika
1 tspcocoa powder
400 gcanned chopped tomatoes
480 gcanned black beans, drained
300 mlchicken stock
100 gGreek yogurt, to serve

Open this recipe in the interactive app to scale servings, switch to oz and cups, and tick ingredients off as you cook.

Per serving (approx.): 500 calories · 42 g protein · 38 g carbs · 20 g fat · 12 g fiber

Method

Brown. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat, add the ground turkey and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up, until no pink remains and it reaches 165°F (74°C) on a thermometer.
Soften. Stir the chopped onion into the turkey and cook for 5 minutes, until softened and translucent at the edges. Add the garlic, tomato puree, cumin, smoked paprika and cocoa and stir for 1 minute, until the spices smell toasty.
Simmer. Pour in the canned tomatoes, drained black beans and chicken stock and bring to a gentle bubble. Simmer uncovered over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce coats a spoon rather than running off it.
Rest. Take the pot off the heat and let the chili sit for 5 minutes; it thickens a little more as it settles. Spoon into bowls and top each with a spoonful of the Greek yogurt.
Store. Cool any leftovers quickly, then freeze them in flat, portion-sized bags. They keep for about three months and thaw far faster lying flat than they would frozen in a solid block.

Worth knowingTurkey and black beans stack two kinds of iron in one bowl - the cocoa is a trick pit-masters use for depth, not sweetness.

Is this safe when trying to conceive?

Yes - the turkey is browned and then simmered well past done, the yogurt on top is pasteurized, and nothing in the pot is restricted while trying to conceive. If iron is on your radar before pregnancy, a pot like this is the food-first way to build stores; and on his side, sperm takes roughly three months to mature, which is exactly the timescale weeknight dinners like this cover.

Substitutions & allergens

Skip the yogurt or use a coconut-based one - removes dairy, the only allergen tag on this pot.
Lean ground beef swaps for the turkey - a richer bowl, and the iron fit stays.
Kidney or pinto beans stand in for black beans like for like.
No cocoa in the cupboard? Leave it out - you lose one layer of depth, not the dish.
Vegetable stock works fine if that is what is open.

Storage & reheating

Chili is the model leftover: refrigerate within 1-2 hours of cooking, eat within 48 hours, and reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout, per FSA chilling guidance. It freezes well on the day it is made - flat bags thaw fastest - then defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours. One catch: if you serve it over rice, the rice follows its own tighter rules - chilled fast, kept no more than 24 hours, reheated once - per the FSA fact checker.

Checked against the public guidance we follow - see our sources & editorial standards.