Kid-Friendly Chili

Sometimes you want to make a chili that simmers for hours, developing a brick red color and a rich chili aroma. Other days, you just need to get dinner on the table that the whole family can enjoy. This kid-friendly chili recipe is barely spiced, but it has a pleasant earthy sweetness from two kinds of tomatoes, onion and both pork and ground turkey. Thanks to a couple of key pantry staples — thank you condensed soup and canned pork and beans — you can turn around a tender chili with a rich brown sugar backbone in less than 30 minutes. Serve it with tortilla chips, your favorite chili toppings or freeze small portions of it for easy lunchbox meals or for topping hot dogs or baked potatoes. That’s a few more easy meals already in the bag.

Ingredients for Kid-Friendly Chili

• Ground turkey: This lean protein forms the base of the chili, providing a satisfying heartiness.
• Onion: Chopped onion adds a savory base flavor to the chili, mellowing as it cooks.
• Pork and beans: A handy shortcut of canned pork and beans contributes a touch of sweetness and a hearty texture.
• Diced tomatoes: Canned diced tomatoes provide the core tomatoey flavor for the chili.
• Condensed tomato soup: The primary liquid in the recipe is condensed tomato soup. It adds richness and extra tomato flavor to the chili.
• Brown sugar: Just a spoonful of brown sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes and adds a hint of sweetness.
• Chili powder: This spice blend of dried chilies and aromatics brings the signature smoky and warm chili flavor to the dish, without being enough to make it taste spicy.

Directions 

Step 1: Brown the turkey and onion

In a large saucepan, cook turkey and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

Step 2: Add the remaining ingredients and simmer

Stir in the pork and beans, diced tomatoes, condensed tomato soup, brown sugar and chili powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until heated through, for 15 to 20 minutes.

Recipe Variations

• Incorporate beans: If the kids you’re feeding like beans, add a can of drained and rinsed pinto or black beans to make this chili even heartier and more protein-packed.
• Add vegetables: Stir in chopped bell peppers, diced or grated zucchini, butternut squash or fresh or frozen corn kernels corn for extra nutrients and flavor.
• Top with toppings: Serve the chili with a variety of toppings, such as shredded cheese, sour cream or guacamole. What kid would complain about adding some cheese, crackers or tortilla chips?

How to Store Kid-Friendly Chili

To store leftover chili, transfer it to use an airtight container or serving-size containers. The chili should be good for up to four days. Reheat it in the microwave or rewarm it in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat.

Can you freeze Kid-Friendly Chili?

You can absolutely freeze this recipe. To store it in the freezer, divide the cooked chili into separate freezer-safe containers. The chili can be stored frozen from four to six months. Thaw the chili in the fridge overnight and then let it simmer in a saucepan until it’s fully reheated to reheat.

Kid-Friendly Chili Tips

Can you make this chili recipe for kids in a slow cooker?

The most intensive step of this recipe is browning the turkey. We recommend assembling this chili on the stovetop. If you’re looking to cook your chili for longer than 2 hours, try out one of our slow cooker chili recipes.

Can you make this chili recipe in an Instant Pot?

Yes. You can use an Instant Pot to make this kid-friendly chili recipe. But note that you won’t need the pressure cook function, only the saute function.

Can I make this chili vegetarian or vegan?

Though it’s an easy swap to trade out plant-based crumbles in place of the ground turkey, there’s not a great one to one substitution for the canned pork and beans that makes up a large portion of this recipe. We’d recommend making a different recipe, perhaps our best vegan chili or our contest-winning vegetarian chili. Both are great options for serving to kids!