This turkey cauliflower chili is low carb, low fat, HIGH in veggies and lean protein and FLAYverrrrrr! Everything I need chili to be. Honestly, I never cared about the beans anyway. I always just figured they were supposed to be there.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Low Carb Turkey Cauliflower Chili
- Serves: 10 -12
- Calories: 268 cal
- Protein: 30g
- Fat: 7.7g
- Carbs: 18g
- Why You'll Love It: Perfectly hearty and flavorful without any unneeded carbs or fats! Leaving plenty of room for all the toppings you want... and of course, dessert.
When I make a giant pot of warm, meaty, soul-warming chili, I want the macros good enough that EVEN I will eat the leftovers. I’ll spend a little more at dinner with my family, but if it’s not level-ten macro-efficient, I won’t touch it on the second go-around.
But this one I can’t stop eating. It’s so light! And so good! When I come home from the gym and sit at my computer, my sweaty clothes give me the chills (I’m gross)… and a warm bowl of leftovers sounds amazing. A quick reheat and I’ve got a hearty, TASTY lunch in like 2 minutes, with macros to spare. CAN’T BEAT THAT. If you’re in chili and soup mode too, here are 5 macro-friendly soups you need to try this fall.
Is Cauliflower Good in Chili?
YES! Cauliflower rice adds bulk without many carbs, and it soaks up all the flavor from the spices and tomatoes. You just get a bigger, heartier bowl. It’s how I make up for skipping the beans. Love sneaking in cauliflower rice? Try my cauliflower rice enchilada skillet too.
Is Turkey Chili Healthier Than Regular Chili?
It depends on what’s in the pot, but lean ground turkey is a great way to keep chili light. I use two kinds: 93/7 for flavor and 99/1 for protein without the added fat. With no beans, a big 400g serving (almost 2 cups) has 268 calories, 30g protein, 7.7g fat, and 18g carbs. That leaves plenty of room for toppings… and of course, dessert.
Can You Make Turkey Cauliflower Chili in the Instant Pot?
I thought about it. But honestly, I didn’t see the point for this one. I tried a dump-and-walk ground turkey Instant Pot situation and it was NOT good. Like a giant tough hamburger in there.
Browning the peppers, onions, and tomato paste brings out a whole new depth of flavor, and everything browns SO much better in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven on the stove. Once that’s done, the work is pretty much over. Dump the rest in, put the lid on, and simmer. Plus, when you take a picture of it in your Dutch oven it’s way cuter and you feel more domestic circa 1950, which is cool.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Two kinds of ground turkey: 1.6 lb of 93/7 lean for flavor (I use one container of Foster Farms from Costco) and 1 lb of 99/1 extra lean for bulk and protein without the added fat. Use whatever you have if you’re not worried about logging my macros.
- Cauliflower rice: 200g, fresh or frozen. It adds bulk without many carbs.
- Frozen kabocha squash: I LOVE the frozen diced kabocha from Trader Joe’s. It’s a little lower in carbs than other squash, and there’s not much in the pot, so skipping it hardly changes the macros. No biggie if you don’t have it.
- Tomato paste: optional, and your chili will survive without it. If you find it in a tube (I get mine at Trader Joe’s), STOCK IT. Brown it with your veggies to bring out that rich tomato flavor.
- Marinara: just ½ cup. I use Victoria organic marinara from Costco. Canned tomato sauce works too.
- Green enchilada sauce: I grew up on this stuff and I think it makes almost every soup better! Yes, you’ll have leftover sauce in the can to store. You might hate me a little for that, but I’m willing to accept it.
- Liquid smoke: optional, but that little hit of smokiness is JUST a good thing.
More of my go-to grocery picks are in my favorite Trader Joe’s products and 5 macro-friendly Costco favorites.
Before You Start Cooking
- Use your biggest pot. This makes 10 to 12 big servings, so grab a large pot or Dutch oven.
- Plan for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. That’s 30 minutes of prep and 45 minutes of cooking, and about 30 minutes of it is hands-off simmering.
- Have a sturdy spoon ready. The 99/1 turkey takes more work to break into small pieces than the 93/7.
- Log it the easy way. You can find this recipe in MyFitnessPal by searching “Lillie Eats and Tells Turkey Cauliflower Chili.” The servings are in grams, so you don’t have to eat as much as I do! Ha. Here’s how I add a recipe to MyFitnessPal if you change things up.
How to Make Turkey Cauliflower Chili
- Sauté the veggies. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, spray with cooking spray, and add the onions, peppers, tomato paste, and 1 tbs kosher salt. Sauté for a few minutes until the veggies are soft.
- Add the cauliflower rice. Cook for another minute or two.
- Brown the turkey. Add both kinds of turkey with the chili powder, cumin, and oregano, breaking the meat into small pieces as it browns. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Simmer. Stir in the canned tomatoes, marinara, green enchilada sauce, chicken broth, kabocha squash, and liquid smoke if using. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Just a few layers of sautéing… so your house smells amazing and you’re excited for dinner at three in the afternoon. THE SMELL. So good.
What to Serve with Turkey Cauliflower Chili
Top it with cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro… fritos! Whatever makes your chili YOUR CHILI. I’ll let you add those macros yourself. For a lighter creamy topping, try my two-ingredient skinny chipotle creme or avocado cilantro cream.
On the side, I love super simple roasted sweet potatoes, a scoop of corn avocado salad, or my Mexican chopped kale salad.
How to Freeze Turkey Cauliflower Chili
We freeze any leftovers we know we won’t get through in large ziplock bags. It’s on my list of macro-friendly freezer meals for a reason!
- Let the chili cool, then portion it into freezer bags and label with the date and grams (one serving is 400g).
- To thaw, place the frozen bag in a large bowl in the fridge overnight.
- Heat in a pot on the stove until warm, and add more chicken stock if it’s too thick.
- Add your toppings after reheating.
- Keeps up to 3 months.
In the fridge, it keeps great for a week. It thickens up as it sits, so weigh your portion of the original recipe and add ½ cup or so of broth to your own bowl for easy logging.
Want more cozy, lean dinners? Try my healthy turkey bolognese, mushroom turkey taco meat, fajita ground turkey skillet, one-pot skinny white chicken chili, or easy lean chili mac.
If you like having the week planned out, my macro-friendly meal plans send a new menu every Thursday with a categorized grocery list, and the recipes are already loaded in MyFitnessPal, Macros First, and Lose It. You can try it free.
Turkey Cauliflower Chili Calories and Macros
One serving (400g, almost 2 cups) of this turkey cauliflower chili has 268 calories, 30g protein, 7.7g fat, and 18g carbs. That’s before toppings. The full nutrition is in the recipe card below.
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Low Carb Turkey Cauliflower Chili
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced 335 g
- 2 bell peppers diced 320 g
- 1 tbs kosher salt
- 2 tbs tomato paste 30 g- optional*
- 200 g cauliflower rice fresh or frozen
- 1.6 lb lean ground turkey 93/7 (I use one container of Foster Farms from Costco, it’s 723 g or 1.59lb- feel free to use whatever you have if you’re not worried about logging my macros.)
- 1 lb extra lean ground turkey 99/1
- 5 tbs chili powder
- 4 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 7 frozen dorot cubes of garlic or fresh minced cloves
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes with juice
- 1/2 cup 112g marinara (I use Victoria organic marinara from Costco- 6 carbs/half cup)
- 1 cup green enchilada sauce 240 g
- 2 cups chicken broth I use Kirkland
- 250 g frozen diced kabocha squash I get it at Trader Joes
- 1/2 tbs liquid smoke optional*
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat, spray with cooking spray and add onions, peppers, tomato paste, and 1 tbs kosher salt. Saute for a few minutes ’till veggies are soft.
- Add cauliflower rice and cook for a another minute or two.
- Add the meat, chili powder, cumin, and oregano, stirring and browning the ground turkey, working to break it up until small pieces (the leaner one takes more work). Add garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the remaining ingredients: canned tomatoes, marinara, green enchilada sauce, chicken broth and kabocha squash and liquid smoke if using. Stir together, then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.
- Top with cheese, avocado, sour cream, cilantro… fritos! Whatever makes your chili YOUR CHILI. I’ll let you add those macros yourself.
Notes
- *I love the frozen kabocha squash from Trader Joes. It’s so easy and quick and a little lower in carbs than other squash. It’s not a huge amount in this chili so if you choose to skip it, it hardly makes any difference in the macros per serving. (-1c,+.5f,=1.8p) (
- This kept great for a week in the fridge, but it thickened up and could use more chicken broth. If you track your macros, just reheat individual bowls, that way you can weigh your portion of the original recipe, and then just add ½ cup or so of broth to your own bowl for easy logging.
- We freeze any leftovers we really won’t get through in large ziplock bags. I’ll place the frozen bag in a large bowl to thaw in the fridge later. Then heat in a pot until warm. Add more chicken stock if it’s too thick.
- For Macro-counters: You can log this directly from MFP by searching “Lillie Eats and Tells Turkey Cauliflower Chili”. The servings are in grams so you don’t have to eat as much as I do! Ha.
Nutrition
Tried this recipe?
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5 stars because this chili is so cozy and delicious! I did not miss the beans. I did, however, have to search high and low to find a kabocha squash. The Fresh Market had them but sold out. The only other place I could find it was at the international grocery store – great place to find obscure produce and other ingredients. But I loved this chili! Made half the recipe and topped my serving with a dollop of Fage 0% plain greek yogurt and scallions. I also stirred a tbsp of nutritional yeast into my serving for a little extra protein & fiber. So good!! Thanks, Lillie, for the recipe!
Great write-up, I’m normal visitor of one’s site, maintain up the excellent operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a long time.
Loved this! Was able to add in some mashed avocado and a bit of brown rice to totally hit my macro target. And it IS a nice, big portion. Very satisfying!!
She always includes an ingredient I never would think of adding, but all her recipes have been amazing so far! Everyone in my family loves this recipe!
Literally my new favorite chili on earth! So smoky and delicious you don’t even miss the beans. My 12 year olds always whined at me about the beans in chili and this they gave two thumbs up! Left overs I added on top of a sweet potato which has now become my new favorite meal! Thanks Lillie 🙂
This is our families favorite chili recipe! We love it!! Wanted to see if you can recommend how to adjust to the slow cooker though for busy nights? Thanks!
Delicious! Made this for meal prep for the week and loved it! We used 96/4 ground beef and added a can of kidney beans but otherwise made as per the recipe.
Wish I could give this 10 stars. Definitely one of my favorites. The liquid smoke addition really gives it a lot of flavor. Highly recommend!
I was kinda skeptical about making a chili without beans, but this recipe is filling, comforting, easy and delish! And the portion size is generous too. Another winning recipe from Lillie that will go into rotation at our house!