Nobody is ladling chili at nine at night.
The pot needs twenty-five minutes of simmering and none of those minutes exist after a late practice. Brown the turkey to 165F at two in the afternoon, add both cans of beans and the crushed tomatoes, and walk away.
What actually saves the night is the cups. Six of them, cooled and lidded, means the fourteen-year-old who gets home at 8:50 eats without opening the whole pot or asking you a single question.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 6. Plan on 8 minutes to reheat (chili cooked earlier).
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
How to Make It
- Earlier: brown the turkey in a pot, breaking it up, until no pink remains and it reaches 165F.
- Add the beans, crushed tomatoes, broth, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt; simmer 25 minutes.
- Cool the chili and portion it into single-serve cups or jars.
- After practice, reheat a cup until steaming hot, about 2 minutes in the microwave or 6 minutes on the stove.
Do the Slow Part Early
Simmer the full pot of chili before practice so it only needs reheating. Portioning into cups means each kid grabs their own and there is no ladling at 8 p.m.
- Brown the turkey and simmer the chili earlier in the day
- Ladle it into 6 microwave-safe cups once it cools slightly
- Set out the cheese and crackers so reheating is the only step
Store and Reheat
Chili reheats beautifully and even tastes better the next day. Add a splash of broth if it thickened in the fridge.
- Microwave a cup 2 minutes, stirring once, until it steams
- Stovetop: 6 minutes over medium, stirring, with a splash of broth
- Pack it hot in a thermos for a practice-side dinner; keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Serve with: shredded cheddar, saltine crackers
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Cheddar and four saltines
A handful of shredded cheddar and a few crackers turn one cup into a real plate.
A spoonful of broth
Chili tightens overnight, so stir some in before the cup goes in the microwave.
Thermos for the bleachers
Fill a preheated thermos at 5:30 and it is still hot during a seven o'clock game.
Kidney beans alone
Skip the pintos if that is what the shelf has; two cans of one bean works.
Freeze in the same cups
It holds four days chilled, and whatever is left after that freezes lidded and stacked.
Plan the next step
Stock your reheat cups
Use the planner to keep a batch of single-serve dinners ready for the busy stretch.