Dinner: Chili of Forgiveness

Recipe by Dana Cowin Chili is the beginning cook’s dream. The recipe is very forgiving, and even if you make a small mistake or two, you can still arrive at a delicious dish.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Kale

Health benefits of Chili of Forgiveness

Kale is an excellent source of calcium, which has an important role in egg maturation and follicle development in the ovaries.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
Kosher salt
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground dark-meat turkey (you can substitute lean ground pork)
2 (28-oz.) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained, juices reserved,and chopped
4 cups diced butternut squash (See Note)
2 (15-oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 pound Tuscan kale (also called dinosaur or Lacinato kale), stems discarded, leaves roughly chopped (about 8 cups)
12 large sage leaves, finely sliced
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions

Put the olive oil in a large heavy pot set over medium-high heat, add the onion, garlic, rosemary and a large pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is just barely softened, about 5 minutes. Add the crushed red pepper and toast for 30 seconds. Add the turkey and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked through and quite browned and its moisture has evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and their juices to the pot, along with another big pinch of salt, increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat to low and gently simmer, uncovered, until the tomatoes lose their tin-can taste, about 20 minutes.
Stir in the squash, cover the pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the squash is just tender, about 20 minutes. Add the beans, kale and sage and cook, uncovered, until the kale is just wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt. Ladle the chili into bowls and top each portion with grated Parmesan.