Super Good Turkey and Kielbasa Chili

I wanted to make a big pot of chili for a gloomy day. I found a recipe on Taste of Home and it looked great so I modified it a bit to suit my tastes.






1.25 lbs lean ground turkey
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 green chilies, diced
(you can sub 1-28 oz can diced toms and 1-14 oz can diced toms with green chilies)
2 cups cooked kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups cooked pinto beans, drained and rinsed
(1-15 oz can each, drained and rinsed, if you prefer)
8 oz  turkey or chicken smoked sausage or kielbasa(I like Hillshire Farms Hardwood Chicken Smoked Sausage), diced
2 cups tomato sauce(approx 1-15 oz can)
1/2 cup diced sweet bell peppers(any color you like)
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
3/4 cup beef broth
2 TB brown sugar
1-2 TB chili powder
1/2-1 TB cumin
1 TB dried oregano
1 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp instant coffee granules

cayenne pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
fresh hot peppers to taste, jalapenos or serranos are delicious

Cook ground turkey in a skillet with garlic until all the pink is out, adding in the onions in the last 5 minutes or so, drain.

While the meat is cooking place all other ingredients in a slow cooker. Add meat and mix gently.






Cook on low for 6-8 hours.




Top with desired toppings. We like sour cream, green onions and a Monterrey/Pepper-Jack/cheddar blend



Freezes well! Just chill thoroughly and place in a resealable container(I place a layer of heavy plastic wrap directly on top of it before placing the lid)