Shookhill Turkey Chili

Ingredients

2 lb. ground turkey
2 cups onion chopped
2 green peppers chopped
2 carrots peeled and grated
8 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
24 oz. mushrooms quartered
2 cans 28 oz. each diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup chunky salsa
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
3 cans beans of your choice — kidney pinto, white, black, or a combination

Instructions

Cook the turkey in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat, cook the ground turkey, breaking it into pieces as it cooks, until no pink remains. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside.
Sauté the vegetables in a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant — about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the grated carrots and cook for 2 minutes more, until just softened.
Add the cooked vegetables to the dutch oven with the turkey. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chunky salsa, then add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and sugar. Add the beans. Mix well to combine everything thoroughly. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to low. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded and the chili has thickened beautifully.
Carefully ladle the finished chili into a large crock pot and set to low. It will hold beautifully for several hours, continuing to deepen in flavor as it sits. This is where the make-ahead magic happens — make it mid-afternoon, set it to low, and it is ready and waiting whenever your crew comes home.

Notes

Serve with all the toppings. This is the part we love almost as much as the chili itself. Set out a generous spread of toppings and let everyone build their own bowl:
• Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Diced avocado
• Sliced green onions
• Sour cream
• Cornor tortilla chips or warm corn bread