Warm up on a cold day with some delightful Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili. This vegan and gluten-free dish, made from pantry staples, is easily customizable to suit your taste.
I love this dish; not only does it happen to be healthy, but it’s also incredibly flavorful. I go hot, first adding jalapeños and hot sauce, then cooling it off with sour cream. You do your thing.
Originating in Central and South America, sweet potatoes have a rich history dating back 5,000 years ago, when the Incas cultivated them in Peru. Christopher Columbus introduced sweet potatoes to Europe during his 1493 voyage, and they gained popularity in Spain before spreading to Africa, Asia, and beyond.
Meanwhile, black beans, which are native to Mexico and Central America, have been a dietary staple for over 7,000 years. Indigenous communities relied on them as a crucial food source, and through trade and migration, black beans found their way to various parts of the world.
The exact origins of Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili remain unclear, but it is believed to have originated in Mexico or the southwestern United States, i.e., Tex-Mex.
Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili Ingredients:
- sweet potatoes
- onion
- garlic
- chili
- ground cumin
- ground chipotle
- jalapeño
- black beans
- tomatoes
- lime juice
- cilantro
- avocado
The first seen recipe for Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili was in a cookbook called “The Moosewood Cookbook” by Mollie Katzen in 1977. The Moosewood Cookbook was a vegetarian cookbook that featured recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant, a popular vegetarian restaurant in Ithaca, New York. The cookbook was a huge success and helped popularize vegetarian cooking in the United States.
Since then, Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili is often served with rice, avocado, and cornbread, and is a popular option for potlucks and parties.
Whether you are a vegetarian or not, this dish is tasty!
Why Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili works:
A one-pot meal that is easy to prepare and clean up; all you need is a large pot or a Dutch oven. Furthermore, you can make the chili in less than an hour, and it will fill your kitchen with a wonderful aroma. Moreover, you can also make it ahead and reheat it later, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
It is a versatile dish that can be adapted to your preferences and what you have on hand. You have the option to use different kinds of beans, such as kidney beans, pinto beans, or chickpeas. Additionally, you can add other vegetables like corn, zucchini, or kale to enhance the flavor and nutritional value of the dish.
Furthermore, you can adjust the spiciness according to your taste preferences. You can do this by adding more or less chipotle, or by using fresh or canned jalapeños. Moreover, you have the freedom to serve the chili with your favorite toppings, such as avocado, cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, cheese, or tortilla chips.
Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili Tips and tricks:
- Enhance flavor by sautéing onions, garlic, and spices in oil before adding broth, beans, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.
Make it creamier by mashing some beans or blending a portion with an immersion blender.
Boost nutrition by adding greens like spinach, kale, or collard greens in the final 10 minutes
Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp EVOO + 2 tsp extra
- 1.5 pounds sweet potato peeled and diced
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp chili powder or more
- 4 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground chipotle chile
- 1 jalapeno pepper, sliced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 cups water, or more as needed Chicken stock is nice if you are not a vegetarian
- 2 15- ounce cans black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 4 tsp lime juice
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 avocado diced and lightly salted just before serving
- If you enjoy the garden of sin consider: Crispy bacon crumbles, and sour cream, as a garnish. Substituting the water with chicken or beef stock.
Instructions
- In a large pot, warm some oil over medium-high heat.
- Firstly, sauté the sweet potato and onion together until the onion becomes soft, which should take about 6-8 minutes. Next, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, and salt to the pan and stir well for 30 seconds without stopping. Afterward, add some water and heat the mixture until it bubbles gently.
- Once you've covered the pot with a lid, reduce the heat and let the sweet potato cook gently until it becomes soft, which should take around 10 to 12 minutes. Subsequently, add the beans, tomatoes, and lime juice to the chili and bring it to a boil again, stirring often. Following this, reduce the heat once more and let the chili cook until it becomes a bit thicker, for around 5 minutes.
- Finally, remove the pot from the stove and garnish the chili with some fresh cilantro and tangy sour cream.
- To serve, accompany it with rice, corn chips, and salsa.
- For those who like to plan ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Spicy Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili Pairs well with:
Pumpkin is an interesting food. I would not have guessed that it pairs with black beans? But it does. and lots of Sour Cream!
I always thought this was more difficult because of the flavor. It took like 20 minutes to make lol. Thanks