I clipped this recipe for White Bean and Turkey Chili from a Cooking Light magazine a few years ago, thinking it would be good with shredded chicken. It seemed like it might be a little bland as-is, so I looked over some other white chicken chili recipes and made a few more modifications. In addition to reducing the amount of meat to two cups, I used two cans of Great Northern beans and one can of cannellini beans. I also added a chopped jalapeno to give the chili an extra kick and substituted tomato sauce for chopped tomatoes.

The resulting white bean chicken chili was rich and hearty. It was a perfect meal for a chilly winter night. The flavors developed nicely overnight and the leftovers were just as good, if not better!

White Bean Chicken Chili

Yields about 6 1-cup servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 cups diced yellow onion
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 8 oz. can plain, no-salt added tomato sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp dried cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1) Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion for 10 minutes, or until onion is tranlucent.
2) Add chili powder, garlic, jalapeno pepper and cumin; saut? for 2 minutes.
3) Add oregano, salt, pepper and beans; cook for about 1 minute.
4) Add broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer for at least 20 minutes.
5) Place 2 cups of bean mixture in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.
6) Return pureed mixture to pan and add chicken. Cook for five minutes or until thoroughly heated.
7) Remove from heat and add dried cilantro and lime juice.

Sunday marked the first snowfall of the year. A cold, wintry day calls for a warm hearty dinner. I love this recipe for Pasta e Fagioli. Since this soup is best when simmered for about an hour, it’s perfectly suited for weekend evenings when one has time to hang out in the kitchen. Preparing the vegetables was also a time-consuming process for me, as it took me awhile to julienne the carrots.

Due to copyright restrictions, I am unable to post the recipe here. However, you can find it on Top Secret Recipes. The flavor of this pasta e fagioli soup is very similar to the one found at Olive Garden, but this soup is thicker and seems to contain more pasta.

I have made very few changes to the original recipe. Due to personal preferences, I used crushed tomatoes in place of diced tomatoes and substituted ground turkey for ground beef. I also omitted the chopped celery, adding 1/4 tsp of celery salt for flavor.

When I prepared the pasta e fagioli soup this time, I found that the finished product was too thick, so I added 1 cup of chicken broth a few minutes before I served the soup. Next time, I might cut down on the pasta. According to Top Secret Recipes, this recipe yields 8 servings. In my experience, it yields 8 large servings! I’m going to try freezing some of the leftovers to keep on hand for quick weeknight meals.