Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
Dehydrated sweet potato, freeze-dried turkey, and a spice mix that leans on cinnamon.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 14 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Car camping
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Dehydrate ahead
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Dehydrated sweet potato | 1/2 cup | diced small, 1/4 inch or it never rehydrates |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried ground turkey | 2 oz | cooked, crumbled, and dried at home |
| Instant refried or dehydrated kidney beans | 1/3 cup | |
| Tomato powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for a can of fire-roasted tomatoes |
| Dried onion flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Chili powder | 2 tsp | |
| Ground cumin | 1/2 tsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 1/2 tsp | |
| Cayenne | 1/8 tsp | optional |
| Ground cinnamon | 1/8 tsp | |
| Chicken bouillon | 1 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | in a dropper bottle |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Boil 600 ml of water. Dump in the sweet potato and onion flakes first and hold a low simmer for five minutes.
- Add everything else except the oil. Stir well so the tomato powder does not clump on the bottom.
- Simmer another five minutes, stirring often. Add water in splashes if it thickens before the sweet potato gives.
- Pull it off the heat, stir in the oil, and let it sit covered for three minutes. The beans finish thickening on their own.
- Bite a piece of sweet potato before you commit. If it still crunches, it needs more water and more time.
The original is a Dutch oven dish with a fresh onion, a whole sweet potato, and two cans. None of that goes in a pack, so every wet ingredient here is its own dried version: tomato powder for the can, dried dice for the sweet potato, freeze-dried crumbles for the ground turkey. The spice ratios are unchanged, including the cinnamon, which is the part worth keeping. An eighth of a teaspoon reads as depth rather than dessert, and it makes cheap chili powder taste like it cost more.
The sweet potato sets the timing. It is the only ingredient that genuinely needs to cook, which is why it goes in alone first and why the dice has to be small. Everything else is just rehydrating. The oil goes in off the heat because this is otherwise a very lean dinner and fat is where the calories that carry you to the next morning actually live.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one freezer bag at home, spices included. Tomato powder cakes in humidity, so add a desiccant or double-bag it. Oil rides separately.
Variations
- Skip the turkey and swap the bouillon for a vegetable cube. It loses about 25 g of protein.
- A handful of instant potato flakes at the end thickens it fast if you overshot the water.
- Corn chips crushed on top add fat and salt without adding cook time.
https://mealswithmaria.site/turkey-sweet-potato-chili