Turkey chili taco soup is healthy, made with lean ground turkey, 2 kinds of beans, and tons of vegetables for a hearty and delicious soup loaded with protein and fiber. And this easy chili can be made on your stove top, slow cooker, or instant pot.
Why this Recipe Works
We love how easy this turkey chili taco soup is, it requires very little forethought or prep work and tastes every bit as indulgent as your traditional ground beef chili. It’s one my family’s favorite meals, and best of all it tastes even better the next day as the flavors mingle together.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground Turkey. I like to use a lean ground turkey (like Jennie-O). Ground turkey is one of those meat that really takes on well, so it works wonderfully in this soup. You can substitute ground beef if you prefer, just drain off the grease after cooking it.
- Taco Seasoning. Taco seasoning uses almost all the same seasonings you traditionally add to chili, so this just simplifies things. If you don’t have taco seasoning on hand, use our homemade taco seasoning recipe.
- Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles. These add flavor and that rich tomato base that chili is known for. You can also replace these two with one can of Rotel with Green Chilies.
- Refried Beans. The addition of refried beans to the taco soup really makes this recipe. It disappears into the soup and makes it rich and creamy.
How to Make this Recipe
- Start by browning your ground turkey in a large pot. Use a wooden spoon to break up the ground turkey as it cooks.
- When the meat is about halfway done, add in your diced onion and bell peppers. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the remaining ingredients—diced tomatoes, green chiles, refried beans, kidney beans, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and taco seasoning. Stir it all together, bring it to a boil for 3 minutes, then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite toppings! (I like plain Greek yogurt, cheddar cheese, and a little cilantro).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Expert Tips
Yes, this recipe is easy to modify for whatever type of pressure cooker you have.
Turn your instant pot or electric pressure cooker onto sauté mode and cook your ground turkey, breaking it up into small pieces as you do. Add in your remaining ingredients and set it to “Soup” mode. Then just give it a thorough stir so that everything is thoroughly combined.
Yes! This recipes can easily be made in a slow cooker.
In a large pot, cook your ground turkey with your pepper and onions. Then transfer it all into your slow cooker. Add your remaining ingredients, stir them all together and cook on low for 6 hours.
Chili is usually a spicy stew containing tomatoes, chilies or chili powder (our taco seasoning has chili powder in it), sometimes meat, and typically kidney beans.
Corn is a popular addition to this recipe! Try draining a can of corn and throwing it in at the same time as the beans.
This chili is easy to reheat in the microwave or on the stove top. If you do it in the microwave, I recommend you cover your bowl with a damp paper towel to prevent spattering.
If you’d like to reheat it on the stove, pop it back into a pot and place over medium—medium-high heat until it reaches your desired temperature. If your chili is a little thicker than you’d like, add a little water or chicken broth until you reach your desired consistency.
Storage and Freezing Tips
Cool the turkey chili taco soup completely before transferring the to the fridge for freezer. This taco soup will keep for 4-5 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
If you end up with too much chili that you cannot eat fast enough, throw it in the freezer! Here’s a couple different ways you can freeze it:
The Paper Cup Method:
Take the chili and ladle it into large paper cups so you have individual portions. Freeze the chili in the cups. Then you can tear off the paper cups and place all the frozen individual portions in a large freezer bag. Then, in the future, whenever you want a single serving, you can grab a frozen block and reheat it.
The Freezer Bag Method:
Cool your chili completely and place into a gallon freezer bag and freeze. Then in the future you can put the frozen chili in your slow cooker for an easy meal!
The Tupperware Method:
Portion the chili into Tupperware containers with individual portions and pop them in the freezers. Then anytime you need a quick meal or need to take lunch with you to work, grab a container out of the freezer!
If you love soups, check out these other recipes!
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Turkey Chili Taco Soup
Ingredients
For Chili:
- 1 pound ground turkey (can substitute ground beef if you prefer)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 medium bell pepper
- 1-14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes (1 ¾ cups)
- 1-15.5 ounce can kidney beans drained (1 ¾ cups)
- 1-16 ounce can fat free refried beans (1 ¾ cups)
- 1-8 ounce can tomato sauce (¾ cup + 2 tablespoons)
- 1-4 ounce can diced green chiles (½ cup)
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning or 1 envelope of taco seasoning
Topping Ideas:
- Sour Cream (or Plain Greek yogurt for a lighter alternative)
- Cilantro
- Jalapeños
- Cheese
- Scallions or Green onions
- Tortilla chips
- Rice
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, brown ground turkey, breaking it up into small chunks as it cooks. When the meat is about halfway cooked add in diced onions and bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the remaining ingredients. Stir ingredients together, bring mixture to a boil for 3 minutes then reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve and tops with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
originally published September 17, 2018
Alyssa, who knew that you were such an amazing cook! Thanks for all these great recipes! I love the variety and I’m having a great time being in the kitchen!
I love hearing that! Cooking has always been a stress reliever for me and I definitely inherited my mother’s love of food!