Jessica Barnes, PhD, RDN, LDAs you can probably tell, beans are one of my favorite proteins to cook with (see Creamy Bean and Bacon soup or my Creole Kidney Beans for more ideas). They are hearty, healthy, low cost, and easily feed a large crowd. This sweet potato and black bean chili is no exception. The black beans are packed with protein and fiber to keep your family full. The sweet potatoes are also chock full of fiber, but also contain more than a days supply of vitamin A, plus a decent amount of vitamin B6 and the mineral magnesium. Most importantly, this sweet potato and black bean chili is full of delicious flavors and cost less than $1 per serving. As an added bonus, it freezes beautifully too!
This recipe can be made one of two ways: stewing all day in the crockpot or a quick simmer on the stovetop. If you go the crock pot route, you simply peel and cube the sweet potato, and roughly chop the onion and red pepper. Proceed to throw all ingredients in the crock pot, set the time and temperature you’d like – 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low – then go about your day until dinner time.
For the stove top version, add a little oil to a stock pot and heat over medium-high temperature. Add the cubed sweet potato and chopped onion and pepper to the pot. Saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, add the garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings. Stir well to combine. Then, add the crushed tomatoes, black beans, and water and stir well. Cover pot and simmer until the sweet potatoes have softened, roughly 10-15 minutes.
I like to garnish my chili with a little sour cream and avocado. I typically don’t worry about a vegetable side dish since this dish is full of vegetables. On most nights, I’ll just serve this sweet potato and black bean chili with fruit and cornbread.
Enjoy!
If you decide to freeze any leftovers, let the soup cool completely in the fridge, then store using a freezer safe bag or container to freeze. When you are ready to reheat the chili, thaw it overnight in the fridge and heat through on the stove top for dinner.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil Stove top version only
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed
- 1 large onion peeled and chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
- 2 15 oz canned black beans
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat
- Add sweet potatoes, onion, and bell pepper. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add crushed tomatoes, black beans, and water. Stir to combine.
- Cover pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until sweet potato is softened.
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