(This Mexican Bean Stew with Ground Turkey is an old recipe that has been removed from my site. I am leaving the printer-friendly recipe here so people who have enjoyed the recipe will still be able to find it.)

Ingredients:

  • 2 T + 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 lbs. ground turkey
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, to season ground turkey
  • 1 onion, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 3 cups cooked pinto beans (see notes)
  • two 4 oz. cans diced green chiles
  • 3 cups chicken broth (see notes)
  • one 15.5 oz. can refried pinto beans
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or more)
  • sliced lime wedges, for serving

Instructions:

  1. Heat the 2 T olive oil in a heavy frying pan with high sides, add ground turkey, season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper and cook over medium heat until the turkey is well browned. This will take 12-15 minutes; don’t rush the browning step.
  2. While turkey browns, peel a large onion and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.
  3. When turkey is well browned, push it over to the side of the pan, add 1 tsp. more olive oil, add onion pieces and cook about 5 minutes, until onion is lightly browned. Stir in minced garlic and ground cumin and cook the mixture about 3 minutes more, stirring a few times.
  4. Add 3 cups cooked beans, 2 cans diced green Anaheim chiles, and 3 cups chicken stock or broth.
  5. Stir to combine, then reduce heat and let the mixture simmer about 30 minutes.
  6. Combine 1 can refried pinto beans with 1/4 cup water to thin the beans, then stir refried beans into the turkey and bean mixture. Simmer about 25 minutes more.
  7. While mixture simmers, chop 1/4 cup (or more) cilantro.
  8. When the stew is as thick as you’d like it to be (about 25 minutes for me), stir in chopped cilantro and simmer 5 minutes more.
  9. Serve hot, with lime wedges to squeeze lime into the stew when you eat it.

Notes

I cooked beans in the slow cooker, and then used some for this recipe, but you can use two cans of pinto beans. I would use homemade chicken stock if I had it, but you can use two cans chicken broth and a little water if you don’t have homemade stock.

This was adapted from a stew recipe by Melissa Rubel Jacobsen for Food and Wine; the recipe is no longer online.

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