One of the first cooking classes I taught was on a weeknight, and everyone there was a mom of young, picky eaters. I called it Weeknight Wonders, and it's a wonder anyone stayed til the end as I put waaaay too many recipes on the agenda. I just got SO excited about quick and easy weeknight meals that I tried to teach them all in about two hours. Those were the days when I used to overachieve. Anyhow, one of the ladies at the class used this recipe for a chili cook off at her son's preschool - and won first place! Dare I call this...Blue Ribbon?! And...it's meatless! The combination of browned sweet potatoes, smoky spices, and hearty black beans just works, and this recipe has made its spot on the comfort food rotation.
An absolute crowd-pleaser, this is good anytime of year, and extra divine in the chillier months (no pun intended - wink, wink). I love that it uses easy to source ingredients, some of which you may even have on hand. My daughters love it over fluffy white rice but it's equally good on its own as a soul-warming stew. If you're looking to add to your spread, think cornbread and a green salad with pickled red onions and lime vinaigrette.
I've also dressed this chili up for a kitchen party, with a toppings bar and margaritas, por supuesto. Think sour cream, diced avocado, pickled red onion, chopped cilantro, pickled jalapeños (or fresh for the more daring), and shredded cheese. Whatever your reason for making this chili, it comes together quickly, develops more flavor each day, keeps well in the fridge, and is freezer-friendly. It doesn't get much friendlier than that.
The first step is to brown the sweet potato. This locks in flavor and texture. After cooking for 5-7 minutes on medium high heat, use a slotted spoon to move to a plate.
Cook the onion and poblano pepper to soften.
Add the garlic and spices and cook until fragrant.
Return the sweet potatoes to the pot along with the water and crushed tomatoes. Simmer 10-15 minutes, stir in black beans, then taste and serve!
Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the diced sweet potato with 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring on and off for about 5-7 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from pot and set aside.
Lower heat to medium and add the onion and poblano pepper, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cook until beginning to soften, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle powder, and smoked paprika and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
Add the water and crushed tomatoes along with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine then turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Return the sweet potato to the pot, reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover partially with a lid and cook until the sweet potato is tender and can be pierced with the tip of a paring knife, about 10-15 minutes.
Stir in the beans, cook for another 2-3 minutes and then taste and adjust for seasoning. I usually add another teaspoon salt at this point.
This dish can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
For a meat version, add 1 pound of ground turkey or lean ground beef along with the onion and poblano pepper, and cook until no longer pink, breaking the meat up into pieces with a wooden spoon. Proceed with recipe as directed.
Make it spicier by adding the puree from canned chipotle chiles in adobo (start with 1 tablespoon). Even spicier? Finely chop one of the chipotles chiles and add to the recipe.
Swap butternut squash for sweet potato.
