Turkey Chili in the Crock Pot

Sorry for the ridiculously long break...I had surgery on my knee 3 weeks ago and it threw me WAY off course.  I'm talking I gained weight like you wouldn't believe :(  Ugh...so here I am once again getting back on track!

Last night I made the most delicious chili I've ever made in my life.  I signed up for a meal plan that I get every week that includes a shopping list.  Yay for shopping/meal planning made easy!!  Most of the meals are pretty heavy on the Weight Watchers Points Plus values, but this turkey chili was EXACTLY what I needed to start my journey again.  I made it without telling my husband that it was turkey instead of beef and he couldn't tell the difference.  Woo hoo!

Now, this recipe calls for you to brown the ground turkey with the onions and garlic before putting it in the crock pot.  This turned me off at first and I didn't want to make it.  I mean, what's the point of cooking when you're using the crock pot?  Isn't that the beauty of the crock pot?  It does the cooking for you!!  Oh well...I understand the point of browning the meat first.  If you don't brown it and crumble it in a pan, then it'll just form a solid brick of meat in your crock pot.

Crock Pot Turkey and Black Bean Chili

1 lb ground turkey
1 14.5 oz can black beans, not drained
1/2 onion (I accidentally put the whole onion in and didn't find it to be too "onion-y")
4 cloves garlic
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, not drained
2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt

*note:  I didn't actually measure the dry seasonings, I just eye balled it and it came out great!

In a large pot, brown turkey with onion and garlic.  Drain and add to crock pot.

To crock pot, add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans and seasonings.

Stir ingredients, cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.  (I cooked mine about 5 1/2 hours, but it's no big deal because there are no raw ingredients)

We enjoyed ours with some pasta shells and it was so delicious.  I ate another helping for lunch today (with no pasta) and it was just as good as last night!

Points Plus value for this meal is 6 for a 1 1/2 cup serving of chili.  I'll be making this frequently!!