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I’ve updated this recipe for Turkey Pinto Bean Chili so it has lots more turkey and fewer beans to make it a low-carb chili recipe. The recipe is delicious with ground turkey, but use leftover turkey if you have some! And this chili is gluten-free.

PIN Turkey Pinto Bean Chili to make some later!

Turkey Pinto Bean Chili shown in serving bowl with cheese and sour cream

I’m excited to share the updated photos and recipe for this Turkey Pinto Bean Chili! This is a new variation for a chili recipe that used to have more beans and less turkey, and for the last few years I’ve been having fun revising some of my older recipes to be lower in carbs. (If you were a fan of the original Turkey and Pinto Bean White Chili you can use that link to still find the printer-friendly recipe on my site.)

This was a recipe I always enjoyed and back in my South Beach Diet days I didn’t mind a chili that had two cans of pinto beans and only a pound of ground turkey. But now that many beans would be too high in carbs for me and probably for a lot of my readers too.

For this delicious updated version I used two pounds of ground turkey, one can of drained pinto beans, a green bell pepper, and a large Poblano pepper to make a chili that’s loaded with flavor and quite low in net carbs.

And if you’re lucky enough to think about making chili when you have leftover turkey, you can make this turkey chili recipe with leftover turkey too! See notes in the recipe for making that switch. No matter which kind of turkey you use, please, please, please don’t skip the lime juice that’s added at the end. That’s the secret ingredient that makes this chili over-the-top good.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

Can you make Turkey Pinto Bean Chili with leftover turkey?

Of course this Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili is great to make with 3-4 cups of diced leftover turkey if you’re lucky enough to get some! See instruction in the recipe for when to add the diced cooked turkey.

Want more chili recipes or ideas for leftover turkey?

Check out these round-ups for more ideas for leftover turkey or more chili recipes:

Turkey Pinto Bean Chili collage of recipe steps

How to Make Turkey Pinto Bean Chili:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. I added a large green bell pepper and large Poblano (Pasilla) pepper to the recipe to make a thicker chili without adding a lot of carbs.
  2. Chop up the onion, green pepper, and Poblano pepper. 
  3. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet with high sides (big enough to hold all the ingredients.) Cook onion, pepper, and Poblano pepper until they’re wilted and starting to brown.
  4. Add the can of diced green chiles, dried cilantro (if using), ground cumin, Mexican oregano (or oregano), Spike Seasoning, and ground Epazote (if using). Don’t stress if you don’t have all those herbs, use the ones you have.
  5. Then add rinsed and drain pinto beans, homemade turkey stock or canned chicken broth, water, and a teaspoon or two of turkey soup base (if using).
  6. Let this mixture simmer about 30 minutes at very low heat, until the mixture is slightly reduced and the flavors are well blended.
  7. While the mixture simmers, heat the rest of the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the ground turkey, breaking it apart as it cooks. I like to use a Hamburger Meat Chopper (affiliate link) or a potato masher (affiliate link) to break the meat apart. 
  8. Cook turkey until all the water is evaporated and it’s nicely browned. 
  9. After the liquid mixture has simmered 30 minutes, add cooked ground turkey and cook the chili 15-30 minutes more.
  10. Add chopped cilantro or thinly sliced green onions the last 5 minutes.
  11. If you’re making this with diced leftover turkey, simmer the onions, garlic, herbs, beans, and stock about 45 minutes, then add the chopped turkey (or chicken) and simmer only about 5-10 minutes more.
  12. Then add the fresh lime juice and salt and pepper to taste right before you serve the chili.
  13. Serve with grated cheese and sour cream to add at the table if desired.

Turkey Pinto Bean Chili shown in serving bowl with cheese and sour cream

More Tasty Ideas with Leftover Turkey (or Chicken):

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Turkey Pinto Bean Chili shown in serving bowl with cheese and sour cream
Yield: 7 servings

Turkey Pinto Bean Chili

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

This new version of Turkey Pinto Bean Chili uses more turkey and fewer beans for a low-carb chili recipe. This will be delicious with ground turkey or leftover turkey, but please don't skip the touch of lime!

Ingredients

  • 1 small onion
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 Poblano chile pepper
  • 1 T + 1 T olive oil
  • one 7 oz. can diced green chiles
  • 1 T dried cilantro (optional but recommended)
  • 1 T ground cumin
  • 2 tsp. Mexican oregano (or oregano)
  • 1 T Spike Seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp. ground Epazote
  • one 15 oz. can Pinto beans, rinsed
  • 4 cups turkey stock (see notes)
  • 2 cups water (or more)
  • 1-2 tsp. turkey soup base
  • 2 lbs. ground turkey (see notes)
  • 2-3 T fresh-squeezed lime juice (to taste)
  • fresh-ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or use thinly-sliced green onion if you're not a cilantro fan)
  • grated Monterey Jack cheese for serving (optional)
  • sour cream for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Chop up the onion, green pepper, and Poblano pepper. 
  2. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet with high sides (big enough to hold all the ingredients.)
  3. Cook onion, pepper, and Poblano pepper until they're wilted and starting to brown.
  4. Add the can of diced green chiles, dried cilantro (if using), ground cumin, Mexican oregano (or oregano), Spike Seasoning, and ground Epazote (if using). Don't stress if you don't have all those herbs, use the ones you have.
  5. Then add rinsed and drain pinto beans, homemade turkey stock or canned chicken broth, water, and a teaspoon or two of turkey soup base (if using)
  6. Let this mixture simmer about 30 minutes at very low heat, until the mixture is slightly reduced and the flavors are well blended
  7. While the mixture simmers, heat the rest of the olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the ground turkey, breaking it apart as it cooks. I like to use a Hamburger Meat Chopper (affiliate link) or a potato masher (affiliate link) to break the meat apart.
  8. Cook the ground turkey until all the water is evaporated and it's nicely browned. 
  1. After the chili liquid mixture has simmered 30 minutes, add cooked ground turkey and cook the chili 15-30 minutes more. (Don't add diced cooked turkey this soon.)
  2. Add chopped cilantro or thinly sliced green onions the last 5 minutes.
  3. If you're making this with diced leftover diced turkey, simmer the onions, garlic, herbs, beans, and stock about 45 minutes, then add the chopped turkey (or chicken) and simmer only about 5-10 minutes more.
  4. Add the fresh lime juice and pepper to taste right before you serve the chili. (I would not add salt because the broth and Spike Seasoning are both salty.)
  5. Serve with grated cheese and sour cream to add at the table if desired.

Notes

Nutritional information doesn't include the optional cheese or sour cream.

If you don't have turkey stock you can use chicken stock or canned chicken broth.

If you're making this with leftover turkey use 3-4 cups diced leftover turkey.

This recipe was created by Kalyn and was updated in 2022 into the lower carb version you see here with help from my niece and fantastic assistant Kara!

Nutrition Information

Yield

7

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 441Total Fat 26gSaturated Fat 6.3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 140mgSodium 1640mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 4.3gSugar 4.3gProtein 38g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

© Kalyn Denny
Category: Soups & Stews
square image for turkey pinto bean chili in serving bowl

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
The updated version of this Turkey Pinto Bean Chili recipe has 12.7 net carbs, which would make this recipe work for anyone who is watching carbs but still eats beans. The recipe would also work for any phase of the original south Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Soup and Stew Recipes for more tummy-warming chili ideas! Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Pinto Bean Chili with turkey was first posted in 2009. The original recipe was updated with better photos November 2014. The recipe was revised to use more turkey and fewer beans and was updated with new photos and was last updated with more information in 2023.

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