MYO Turkey Chorizo {Plus a lightened Up Fundido!}

Growing up, I’d never heard of Chorizo. Let’s be honest, in my small town, Chi-Chi’s was our go-to for Mexican food.  Once I started watching Food Network, I learned about the amazingness that is Chorizo. If you’re not familiar, it’s a sausage with a kick of spice and garlic.  You can purchase Mexican or Spanish varieties. The Mexican style is crumbles that you brown and drain, the Spanish style is a hard sausage that you can slice–after peeling the casing. Both are tasty, but most recipes usually call for MEXICAN Chorizo. It’s spicy, but not that omg-gimme-milk-NOW heat. The flavor is unbeatable and it’s great for Mexican breakfast foods or dips.

A while back, my friend Stefanie at Sarcastic Cooking shared a MYO Soyrizo recipe which uses tofu, like you can buy at Trader Joes. I figured I could use the same spices and make a TURKEY variety. The main issue I have with Chorizo is that it is SO greasy, even after straining it once cooked. By using my own ground turkey, I can cut the fat to 1/3 of the pork/beef varieties, but I kept the awesome flavor.

Print

MYO Turkey Chorizo {Plus a lightened Up Fundido!}

Double or triple this Chorizo spice recipe and store in a mason jar to season any of your favorite Mexican style meats--or even fajita veggies!

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Coriander
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 package lean ground turkey (1.25 lbs)
• 5 cloves of garlic , minced
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 Tablespoon chipotle in adobo , chopped
• 1 onion , finely chopped

Instructions

1. Mix the dry spices together in a bowl. Set aside.
2. In a large pan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and chopotle in adobo to pan, stir.
3. Slowly add ground turkey and raise heat to medium-high. Use a flat spatula or meat crumbler to break up the turkey into small crumbles as it cooks.
4. Sprinkle spices, mixing well to cover all of the meat. Continue to crumble meat as cooks.
5. Remove from heat and serve!

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Sarcastic Cooking. This freezes very well! Just cool completely and store in a zip baggie.

3.5.3208

To save time in the future, I tripled the dry spices and stored it in a mason jar. I’ve been using it for EVERYTHING: fajita veggies, fries…you name it!

Many people make breakfast tacos, burritos, huevos rancheros and more with Chorizo. My favorite party dip is Queso Fundido, made with queso blanco cheese, cilantro, peppers, onions and sausage. Throw everything in a skillet, bake until brown and you’ve got a tasty dip for game nights. Instead of salty chips, I bake my own to save even more calories. My logic: lightened up Chorizo, plus baked chips cancel out the mass amounts of cheese. Right?

Lightened Up Queso Fundido

• 1/2 cup Turkey Chorizo, cooked
• 4 oz Queso Blanco (Velveeta brand is great!)
• 1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup onion finely diced
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
• Toppers: cilantro, diced tomatoes (salsa works, too)
• Tortilla chips

1. Heat oven to 425º.
2. In a cast iron skillet, saute onion and jalapeno. Add Chorizo and cheese.
3. Heat in oven to melt and brown cheese, about 10-13 minutes.
4. Top with cilantro and (optional) tomatoes.

What’s your favorite use for Chorizo?

Save

Save