Slow Cooker Southwestern Turkey Butternut Squash and Black Bean Stew

Slow Cooker Southwestern Turkey, Butternut Squash and Black Bean Stew is hearty, flavorful, easy and best of all healthy.  You probably already have most of the ingredients on hand!

The inspiration behind this recipe:

With spring right around the corner and because I have an aversion to wasting food, I’m trying to use up things hiding in the freezer.  As the weather warms, we’ll want to get out and start grilling in addition to planting our garden.  We’re barely into March and we already have fresh perennial herbs like mint peeking up from the ground.

A small package of cooked, smoked turkey from our Thanksgiving celebration I put in the freezer when we started to get “turkeyed out” was begging to get used.  We also had a small butternut squash from last year’s garden still hanging out in our pantry in addition to a TON of roasted and peeled Poblano peppers in our freezer.

And what’s better than a slow cooker meal simmering away when you’re busy with indoor and outdoor spring cleaning?

How to make Slow Cooker Southwestern Turkey Butternut Squash and Black Bean Stew:

• Finely chop the onion and place it in a bowl.  (Here’s some information from The Kitchn on exactly what finely chopped is:  Learn Just What a Fine Chop Looks Like.)
• Add salt and let it sit while prepping and chopping the other ingredients.  The salt is necessary to give the onion a “head start” to soften it up as I have found it MAY not soften all the way in your slow cooker.  Just remember to taste the stew at the end before adding additional salt.
• If you’re sensitive to salt, give the onion a brief saute in a little oil before placing in the slow cooker.
• Place the onion and the accumulated liquid, Poblano peppers, red bell pepper, butternut squash and garlic in the slow cooker.

• Add the spices, chicken broth and both cans of tomatoes to the slow cooker.

• Stir all the ingredients together and let simmer away in your slow cooker.

• Add the cooked turkey and black beans when you have an hour to go if cooking on HIGH or two hours to go if cooking on LOW.
• Now, I know what you’re going to ask….

Can I use raw turkey (or chicken) in this stew?

• Yes.  Just place raw, cubed turkey in the slow cooker at the beginning so it has plenty of time to cook along with everything else.

That’s it!  Spicy, hearty, healthy, delicious, easy!

Stir in chopped fresh cilantro and serve with diced avocado, sour cream and lime wedges.

Serve this stew with:

• Simply Pumpkin Muffins

For more Southwestern-inspired soups and stews, be sure to try my:

• Turkey, Black Bean and Quinoa Chili
• Slow Cooker Chipotle Split Pea Soup with Ham
• Skillet Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili with Pepperjack Biscuit Topping
• Slow Cooker Colorado Green Chili
• Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup with Ham
• Beef and Chorizo Chili with Black Beans For A Crowd
• Roasted Poblano, Corn and Potato Chowder with Bacon and Gouda Cheese
• Chipotle Chicken and White Bean Chili

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Yield: 8

Slow Cooker Southwestern Turkey Butternut Squash and Black Bean Stew

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Slow Cooker Southwestern Turkey, Butternut Squash and Black Bean Stew is hearty, flavorful, easy and best of all healthy!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 fresh poblano peppers, seeded and finely chopped --OR-- 6 roasted and peeled poblano peppers, chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 medium Butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 heaping tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (15-ounce) crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 can (10-ounce) diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 1/2 pounds turkey breast meat, cooked and shredded
• 1 can (15-ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Diced avocado
• Lime wedges, for serving if desired
• Sour cream, for serving if desired

Instructions

1. Place finely chopped onion in a small bowl. Add the salt and let sit while prepping and chopping the remaining ingredients.
2. Place the onion along with any juices in the slow cooker.
3. Add poblano peppers, red bell pepper, butternut squash, garlic, chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes and tomatoes with green chiles in the slow cooker and stir to combine.
4. Cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6 hours.
5. Add the cooked turkey meat and black beans and continue cooking on HIGH 1 more hour or LOW 2 more hours. (TOTAL COOK TIME: 4 hours on HIGH, 8 hours on LOW).
6. Stir in chopped cilantro, black pepper and salt if more salt is needed.
7. Serve garnished with diced avocado, lime wedges and sour cream.

Notes

If you wish to use raw turkey (or chicken), add at the beginning along with all the other ingredients and cook as directed.

If you're sensitive to salt, give the onion a brief saute in a little oil before placing in the slow cooker.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 256Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 71mgSodium 986mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 7gSugar 8gProtein 30g

The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.