Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2011)

This recipe is featured on the Cook's Country website right now, so if you are interested, now is the time to print it out or save it.

I'm perfectly happy with the Cook's Illustrated Simple chili recipe but I guess I always am willing to try something new. The fact that the recipe was developed for a slow cooker appealed to me. 

This tasted great, but it was more work than the Simple Chili recipe. And it created another problem. It didn't fit in my slow cooker. I should have known. Most of their recipes are for the large crock-pot, and I have a smaller one. I should have cut the recipe in half.  (Although I'm happy to have lots of leftovers to freeze now.) 

I ended up just using the dutch oven I did all the prep cooking in, and cooked on low for 3 hours, although it would have been fine at 2 hours. 

I might make again, but most likely I'll stick with the Simple chili which takes just 20 minutes of prep and requires less cleanup. 

Simple Italian-Style Meat Sauce

 Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

Grade:B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (March 2008)
Recipe Source: Best of ATK 2009


This was a fairly simple recipe but it did involve getting out the food processor to chop some mushrooms, which are there to add meatiness. I don't like mushrooms, but can handle them when processed this way. I don't mind their flavor, just the texture. The sauce was fine, but just not incredible, so I probably won't make again. I think if I want meat with my sauce, I'd like some meatballs instead. I am coming to the conclusion that I just don't love pasta sauces with ground meat.


I will not make this again, but if you like ground meat sauces, you might still want to try this one. It is more a personal taste issue for me, not that the recipe is bad.