I first shared this recipe in 2012 (!!) and it was during a time when I decided to give up meat for Lent. Even though I went back to eating meat, occasionally having a meal full of veggies is still on the menu in our home. And now that we have Mason who’s an opinionated almost-two-year-old, we’re always trying to get her to eat her vegetables and wow is it a full-time job. At any rate, she’ll generally eat this chili (if she’s in the mood). She’ll definitely eat it if it’s served on a bed of rice. Homegirl is obsessed with rice.
I’m resharing this recipe again because it desperately needed an update; it’s been 10 years for crying out loud. Not to mention the photos were pretty terrible. Just to show how far I’ve come, I’ll leave one of the old photos here in this post (scroll to the bottom).
*cue Drake’s ‘Started from the Bottom*
Even though we don’t often eat all veggie meals, this sweet potato black bean chili was inspired by my and John’s love for these spinach burgers. The burgers were also a new dish I made and discovered during my no meat adventures. Even today, those burgers are one of our favorite meals – hands down. If you haven’t tried the spinach burgers, do yourself a favor and get on it. I promise you won’t regret it.
You can serve this chili with whatever you like: if you’re obsessed with rice like Mason, try rice. You can spice it up even more by using yellow rice (yum!). The first time I made this chili, we tried it with cornbread and it is a game-changer. But who am I kidding? Cornbread makes any meal better. One more note about this sweet potato black bean chili is that it really is a blank canvas. While this recipe suggests seasonings, you can really do what you like with it.
Want to make it spicy? Do it!
Want to make it a little sweet? Add some sweet peppers.
photo from 2012
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
- 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- ¼ to 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 2 (14-ounce) cans vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 small bag frozen corn
- Juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Heat oil in a heavy large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes or until soft and tender (careful not to burn them).
- Add bell pepper, jalapeños, and sweet potato; cook, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in garlic, and cook about 1 minute then add seasonings: chili powder and next 7 ingredients; stir and cook 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and broth. Simmer, uncovered, about 30 minutes.
- Stir in beans and corn; continue to cook 10 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf then stir in lime juice. Bon appetit!
Best chili I've ever had.
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