Three bean turkey chili

This has been a fantastic weekend so far. Liz and I were able to spend our entire Saturday at home with Isaiah. Of course, I followed my wrestlers online, but my heart was with my family. It was very nice and refreshing. We both needed it. I was able to put some time and effort into making a hearty and healthy batch of chili. It all felt so right.

Before yesterday, I had never made chili. I've eaten a lot of it, though - healthy, meaty, spicy, weird, etc., I've tried it all. Since I've had so many varieties, I knew exactly what I wanted and what would feel the most like "our home."

I browned ground turkey seasoned with Lawry's Seasoning, drained the excess liquid and set aside. In my lovely Dutch oven, I warmed 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and added an onion, a shallot, a red pepper, three stalks of celery and Andouille chicken sausage. I also added a bunch of chili powder, a dash of crushed red pepper and salt and pepper. I covered the pot and cooked for about 15 minutes then added five cloves of minced garlic and the ground turkey and mixed everything together.

In no particular order, I added a large can of diced tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce (and one can of water), a can of black beans, a can of kidney beans and a can of garbanzo beans. I also added more chili powder and salt and pepper. Finally, I added whole wheat fusilli pasta. It took an additional 10-15 minutes until the pasta was ready.

I put a lot of thought and effort into the ingredients and the best part was, as always, eating it. I made enough to have left overs for a few days...isn't that the best way to make chili? I love going to the fridge for left over chili more than any other left over.