Recently on Guy’s Grocery Games, firefighters from across the country competed for the chance to win up to $20,000. While these cooks haven’t (yet) won any James Beard Awards, they certainly know how to cook for a crowd.

Feeding a station full of firefighters is no easy task. Guy’s games kicked off with a kiddie cart challenge, meaning each contestant’s groceries had to fit into child-sized carts. This spur-of-the-moment change was no problem for the firefighters who are used to adapting to new situations quickly.

Balancing healthy and hearty was a recurring theme for these firehouse cooks. They made burgers with portobello buns, stir-fries with quinoa and lean pork tenderloin to create dishes that married lean proteins with classic comfort foods.

In honor of our firefighters, we’ve made a favorite comfort food dish with a lighter twist: firehouse chili. Our version maintains that comfort food taste while featuring lean protein. You can make this dish with ground turkey, onions, peppers, herbs and canned tomatoes, proving you don’t need a lot of ingredients to make a flavorful meal.

For the turkey firehouse chili, modify your favorite chili recipe, or start with this basic chili recipe from Food Network Kitchen and replace the ground beef with ground turkey breast. For more heat, add seeded and diced serrano, jalapeno or habanero chiles with your diced onions. A bottle of lager and some chipotle chiles in adobo sauce can help develop rich flavor quickly. Finally, serve each bowl with a dollop of reduced-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt, shredded cheese and cilantro to complete this lightened-up meal.

Watch Guy’s Grocery Games on Sundays at 8|7c.

Photo by Angela Carlos