This is a bean-free turkey chili built for the slow cooker — ground turkey, butternut squash, carrots, celery, and fire-roasted tomatoes cooked low and slow with chili powder, cumin, paprika, and a solid pour of hot sauce. The honest reason to make it: you do about 15 minutes of chopping in the morning, and dinner is ready when you get home. At 170 calories a serving, it’s also one of the lighter things you can pull from a slow cooker without it tasting like it.
Shopping notes
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes: Worth seeking out over regular canned diced tomatoes. The roasting adds a mild smokiness that plain tomatoes don’t have. Muir Glen and Hunt’s both make them widely.
- Passata (tomato puree/crushed tomatoes): Any smooth, unseasoned tomato base works here. Avoid tomato paste — it’s too concentrated — and avoid pre-seasoned tomato sauce, which will throw off the salt balance.
- Hot sauce: Frank’s RedHot is called out in the recipe because it’s vinegar-forward and thins into the chili evenly. A thicker Louisiana-style sauce works too. Avoid anything labeled “wing sauce” — it has added butter.
- Ground turkey: 93% lean is the practical choice. 99% fat-free turkey tends to go dry and grainy over a long cook. Either works, but 93% holds up better.
- Butternut squash: Pre-cut squash from the produce section saves real time and cuts identically to hand-cut. No quality difference here — use it.
Why this recipe works
Two things actually matter in this recipe. First, the butternut squash pulls double duty: it adds bulk in place of beans and releases natural sugars during the long cook that round out the acidity of the tomatoes and hot sauce — no added sweetener needed. Second, adding the raw ground turkey directly to the slow cooker rather than browning it first means it breaks down into fine, even pieces as it cooks, which distributes the meat throughout every spoonful rather than leaving you with chunks. The tradeoff is you skip a step and lose a little of the fond you’d get from browning, but the fire-roasted tomatoes and hot sauce more than cover that flavor gap. Ground turkey must reach an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) — the 6–8 hour cook time on low gets you there reliably, but if you’re ever unsure, check with a thermometer before serving.
Common problems and fixes
- Chili tastes flat or thin after cooking: Taste before serving and adjust salt first — it makes the biggest difference. A small splash of apple cider vinegar (about a teaspoon) can also sharpen dull flavors without adding heat.
- Too much liquid in the pot: Slow cookers trap steam, so the chili won’t reduce the way a stovetop pot does. If it’s looser than you want, remove the lid and cook on high for 20–30 minutes at the end to drive off some liquid.
- Turkey clumped into large pieces: This happens if the turkey wasn’t broken up well before the lid went on. At the 3–4 hour mark, stir and break up any large pieces with a spoon. It fixes itself from there.
- Too spicy to serve: Stir in a tablespoon of tomato paste or a small spoonful of plain Greek yogurt per bowl — both cut heat without watering down the chili. Skip the sour cream if you’re keeping it low-calorie; the yogurt does the same job.
- Squash turned to mush: This usually means the slow cooker ran hot or the pieces were cut too small. Next time, cut squash into true ½-inch cubes and check at the 6-hour mark rather than waiting the full 7.5 hours.
Leftovers and meal prep
This chili keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days in a sealed container and actually tastes better on day two once the spices have had time to settle. Freeze in individual portions for up to 3 months — use freezer-safe containers or zip bags laid flat. Reheat from frozen in the microwave at 50% power for 3–4 minutes, stirring halfway, or thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stovetop over medium-low. Skip the garnish — not worth the extra dish. The chili is complete on its own, and anything you’d add (cheese, scallions, cilantro) can go straight on at the table if someone wants it.
Slow Cooker Spicy Turkey Chili (No Beans, Low Carb)
Equipment
Ingredients
2 ½ cups butternut squash - peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch (1cm) pieces, 350g
- 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes - 14 oz / 398ml, undrained
1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Dice carrots, celery, onion and butternut squash and put into the slow cooker.1 cup carrots, 1 cup celery, 1 cup onion, 2 1/2 cups butternut squash
- Add the tomato sauce (passata), fire-roasted diced tomatoes with their juices, and all the spices (chili powder, cumin, paprika, and salt). Stir well to combine. Break the raw ground turkey into small pieces and add it to the slow cooker, mixing it through the vegetables and sauce.3 cloves garlic, 1 cup passata or crushed tomatoes (tomato puree with seeds removed), 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 pinch ground black pepper, 1 pound ground turkey
- Cover and cook on Low for 7-8 hours or on High for 4-5 hours, until the butternut squash is tender and the turkey is cooked through.
- If cooking for young children or spice-sensitive eaters, ladle out mild portions before adding the hot sauce. Stir 1/2 cup (120ml) hot sauce into the remaining chili during the last hour of cooking. For a milder version, reduce or omit the hot sauce entirely. Taste and adjust salt and spices before serving.1/2 cup hot sauce
Notes
Nutrition
Common questions
Can I cook this on high instead of low to speed things up?
Yes — cook on high for 3 to 4 hours instead of low for 6 to 8. The turkey will reach a safe 165°F (74°C) either way, but check that the squash is fork-tender before you call it done, since high heat can cook unevenly depending on your slow cooker model.
Do I need to brown the turkey before adding it to the slow cooker?
No, and the recipe is written without that step. Adding raw turkey directly works fine here — it breaks into small pieces during the long cook and absorbs the seasoning throughout. If you want a slightly richer flavor, you can brown it first in a skillet, but it’s not necessary and adds cleanup time.
How do I know when the chili is actually done?
The squash should be completely fork-tender and the turkey should show no pink anywhere in the pot. If you want to be certain, a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest cluster of turkey should read at least 165°F (74°C). After 7 hours on low in most standard slow cookers, you’ll be well past that.
Can I substitute the butternut squash with something else?
Sweet potato is the most straightforward swap — same cube size, similar cook time, slightly sweeter result. Zucchini works too but will soften much faster, so add it in the last 2 hours rather than at the start or it will disappear into the sauce.
Is ½ cup of hot sauce really right, or is that a typo?
It’s correct, and it makes the chili genuinely spicy — that’s the point of the recipe. If you’re heat-sensitive or cooking for kids, start with 2 tablespoons and taste at the end; you can always stir in more, but you can’t take it out once it’s in.
