Garden State Italian Turkey Chili

I am so sad that the summer has come to an end. Not only our beach days are over and our swim club is closed, but all the wonderful fruits and vegetables will be disappearing  from the farmers market. BOO HOO! One of my favorite parts of summer is all the fresh produce our garden state brings.

 I love meals that can be made and reheated at the drop of a dime. With our crazy schedule, some nights dinner time is different for everyone in the house. So chili is a great meal to have in the fridge and I can also make it in big batches to be frozen. Today, as I was looking through the produce draw, I came across a few leftover items from the garden and farmers market. And before I knew it, this Jersey Girl Italian Turkey Chili  was born. Leftover tomatoes, squash, fresh basil and eggplant all went in the pot. Some white wine, tomato sauce, fresh basil and garbanzo beans completed the chili to make more than a delicious meal. Even the husband, who is by no means a veggie man, liked it. I made a big batch so now dinner is already ready for another night this week.

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Jersey Girl Italian Turkey Chili

1 TBS olive oil

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 small eggplant, skinned and chopped

1 medium sized yellow or green squash, chopped

3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped

3 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 cup white wine

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce

1 TBS sugar

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

handful fresh basil, chopped

salt and crushed red pepper to taste

In a dutch oven, heat oil on medium high and brown ground turkey. Add eggplant, squash, tomatoes, and garlic to pan. Reduce heat to medium and stir. Add white wine, beans, sauce sugar, onion powder and italian seasoning. Combine well, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add basil, salt and pepper to taste and cook for another 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.