Can someone help me with this recipe?

toots99
toots99 Posts: 3,794 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
1 lb ground turkey
1 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1.5 tsp salt
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
29 oz can tomato sauce
3 16 oz cans kidney beans
14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
6 oz can tomato paste

Feel free to substitute fresh cut tomatoes for the stewed tomatoes as that would have less salt.

Just brown the meat....and half way through browning add the chopped onion and green pepper. Once that is browned dump it and everything else in the crock pot and cook on high for 3 hours or low for 7-8.

I found this recipe here, and made it tonight and it was soooooooo good! I cooked it on high for 3 hours because I started too late to cook it on low for 7-8.

However, it was a little "soupy" for my taste. I did drain the beans, so that wasn't the problem. How can I tweak it to make it a bit thicker? Would cooking it on low for 7-8 hours make it thicker? Or should I use less tomato sauce? I am very new to trying my hand at recipes, so I don't trust myself to make changes and then find out I did it wrong after buying everything and letting it cook for hours.

Also, the sodium content was off the charts...can someone tell me an easy way to cut down on the sodium? The salt of the stewed tomatoes weren't so bad, but the salt content of the beans was pretty high.

Replies

  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    well take out the added sodium and use low sodium worcestershire sauce. Also canned foods are loaded with it. As for thicker you could always take some of the fluid out and mix with some corn starch and let it cook down. Might help thicken up. :)

    oh you can always rinse the canned beans and that is supposed to cut the sodium by like 30-40% :) Hope that helps. I was going to say to thicken it you may want to use some tomato paste but I'm guessing it's loaded with salt as well.

    B
  • nilisabel
    nilisabel Posts: 338
    my advice would be checked the canned goods for sodium content and pick the lowest. If it's too soupy, maybe add a tbsp of cornstarch whisked in either at the end or in the browning liquid before you toss it all in the crockpot. Or, best, drain the liquid so it's not all in the crockpot as it's mostly the fat of the meat.Hope it helps!
  • Teresa652
    Teresa652 Posts: 217 Member
    I'm not sure how to make it thicker. We put in small peeled potatoes to soak up the extra salt. When you are done cooking the soup just take out the potatoes and do whatever. It was 8 lbs of Chili and we used 5 small round potatoes. If anyone else has a suggestion I'd also like to hear it.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    The grocery stores in my area sell no-salt added canned beans (black, pinto, kidney, pinto... possibly one or two others) - this would help a lot with the sodium. All those tomato products probably add up to a bit of sodium, too - I'd make sure I was buying low-sodium or no-salt added. These days, most canned products can be found with lower sodium versions. Don't add any extra salt (take out the 1.5 tsp of added salt). I quit adding salt to all my recipes, and they are still plenty tasty. You can add a little thickener to the recipe (like xantham gum or corn starch) to thicken it up a bit... I'm not super experienced with cooking though, so other people may have a better solution.
  • LindaSueBakk
    LindaSueBakk Posts: 145 Member
    I just wouldn't add salt or at least cut it down by half. Rinse the beans very well and stir 1 or 2 tbs. of flour or cornstarch into the tomato sauce. I really think it would thicken up on it's own of you cooked it longer.
  • Red13
    Red13 Posts: 287 Member
    Less sauce and you can drain the stewed tomatoes before adding them if you didn't already, that should make it less soupy. For the beans, there are salt free canned beans and I recommend Eden organic which may cost a little extra but you don't have to worry about the BPAs in the can liner.
  • CarrieAbbey
    CarrieAbbey Posts: 378 Member
    I would suggest not using the tomato sauce or the canned tomatoes. Use fresh tomatoes instead and cornstarch to thicken it up. Rince the beans will help a lot as well with the sodium and don't add extra salt.

    Sounds good though, might have to have chili this week.:wink:
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
    Get dried beans and boil them yourself and that will cut a lot of the salt. It takes longer to prepare that way though. Instead of the cornstarch suggested above, I use flour in my chili to thicken it. Either would work the same way.

    Here's my chili recipe if you want to try it next time.

    93% lean ground beef--2 pounds
    pinto beans--1 bag
    kidney beans--1 bag
    small red beans--1 bag
    Onion--1 whole
    Jalapeño or Serrano peppers--To taste (I use about 12)
    Chili Powder--6 tablespoons
    Crushed Red Pepper--2 tablespoons
    Spaghetti Sauce--1 large can (about 32 ounces, can be replaced with homemade sauce to cut sodium even more)
    Water--8 to 12 cups depending on how thick you like it
    1 cup flour
    2 cups cold water

    Boil the beans until tender. (3-4 hours) Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion. In separate bowl, combine 2 cups cold water with 1 cup flour. Mix until smooth. Combine beans and meat with 8-12 cups of water. Add seasonings, peppers, and spaghetti sauce. Slowly add the flour mixture to avoid lumps. Cook on low until peppers are tender and flavors have blended. Makes 20 very large servings.

    Per Serving: 248 Calories, 34grams carbs, 4grams fat, 19grams protein, 8grams fiber, 340mg sodium
  • toots99
    toots99 Posts: 3,794 Member
    Less sauce and you can drain the stewed tomatoes before adding them if you didn't already, that should make it less soupy. For the beans, there are salt free canned beans and I recommend Eden organic which may cost a little extra but you don't have to worry about the BPAs in the can liner.

    Draining the stewed tomatoes should help, I didn't drain them.

    Thanks for everyone's suggestions!
  • ckgis4me
    ckgis4me Posts: 25
    Utilize unsalted or low sodium canned products (as suggested by others) if you don't have time to soak and cook from dry.

    If you stick with the recipe, just decrease the tomato sauce by a third or a half. If it is a little to thick when it is done, just add a little sauce at the end.
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