White Turkey Chili: 30 Minute Dinner

I can hardly believe it's November already!  I've been a bit preoccupied lately, in a good way of course, but the weeks have slipped by a little too quickly.  Suddenly the holidays are upon us, but I'm still trying to figure out where summer went.

Having just realized all of the holiday work and busy days ahead of me, I am now in search of some easy meals to help keep the days flowing as we approach the year's end.  This White Turkey Chili is an easy and quick meal, and it will be a perfect way to use some of our Thanksgiving leftovers later this month.  

This recipe is very flexible.  You can use leftover cooked turkey, rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or even leave the meat out and just increase the beans if you want to keep it vegetarian.  It is delicious served over hot rice, with tortillas, or with tortilla chips.  Best of all, it makes a quick hot meal for the family on a busy night. These days, I need dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Yield: 4

White Turkey Chili: 30 Minute Dinner

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3 cups cooked turkey, chopped
• 1 can white beans (15 oz), rinsed
• 1 can green chiles (4 oz), undrained
• ½ cup Mexican style shredded four-cheese blend
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• 1 whole avocado chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Optional:

• 2 cups cooked rice
• Tortillas or tortilla chips

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese, milk, and garlic powder.  Blend until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add diced onion, cumin, oregano, and saute approximately 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden and tender. Stir in the cooked turkey.
3. Stir in cream cheese mixture, beans, and green chiles.  Simmer over medium-low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.   Remove from heat and serve over rice or with tortillas or chips.  Top with cheese, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro.