With the addition of sweet potatoes, this easy chili is filling and warming. Baking or microwaving the sweet potatoes ahead of time cuts down on both the preparation as well as the cooking time. Enjoy leftovers for a thermos lunch or subsequent dinners. Fresh corn bread is a wonderful companion. Serve with a simple salad or any of VegKitchen’s coleslaws and/or a side of sautéed greens. If you need a last-minute idea for a vegan main dish for Thanksgiving dinner, this is a great choice. Adapted from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook.
Quick Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili
Author: Nava
Recipe type: Chili / bean stew
Cuisine: Vegan / Healthy
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6 to 8
With the addition of sweet potatoes, this easy chili is filling and warming. Baking or microwaving the sweet potatoes ahead of time cuts down on both the preparation as well as the cooking time.
Ingredients
- 2 medium-large sweet potatoes (about 1½ pounds)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium red or green bell pepper, diced
- 5 cups cooked or three 15- to 16-ounce cans (drained and rinsed) black beans
- 28-ounce can diced tomatoes (try fire-roasted)
- 1 or 2 small fresh hot chiles, seeded and minced, or one 8-ounce can chopped mild green chilies
- 2 teaspoons good-quality chili powder, or more, to taste
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin, or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro, or more, to taste, plus more for garnish
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Bake or microwave the sweet potatoes until just firm. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut into ½ to ¾-inch dice. Set aside until needed. Or, you can scrub or peel them, dice, and steam in a small amount of water until just done.
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is golden.
- Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and salt. Add ½ cup water, bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat and cover. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
- Add the sweet potato dice and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are tender and all the flavors are nicely melded.
- Stir in the cilantro, then season gently with salt. If time allows, let stand off the heat for an hour or two, then heat through as needed. Top each serving with extra cilantro, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Per Serving: 335 calories; 5.9g fat; 58g carbs; 18g fiber; 15g protein; 404mg sodium
- Here are more recipes for bean stews and chilies.
- Here are more of VegKitchen’s Vegan Dinner Recipes.
21 Comments
Jacqueline
October 17, 2011 at 9:56 pmThe sweet potatoes give this a nice hint of Cuban flavor. I did use sweet potatoes per the recipe, but it looks like there are yams in the photo – will try that too. Very tasty and quick to throw together. Thank you!
Nava
October 18, 2011 at 8:42 pmThere is so much confusion over what is a sweet potato and what is a yam. The garnet yams are deep orange, yet I was under the impression that what’s called a sweet potato is orange, and what’s a yam is the more yellow-y flesh. I could be wrong, though!
Sidedish
October 30, 2011 at 3:20 pmI always use yams regardless what the recipe calls for. I think they have a better flavor.
Will try this for my veggie friend coming over for Thanksgiving!
Trista
November 10, 2011 at 9:45 pmHoly crap this soup is good! I made it with 1 serrano and 2 jalapenos with all the seeds and it is just perfectly spicy. And the fire roasted tomatoes were a good idea.
Thanks for posting this recipe.
Nava
November 11, 2011 at 7:28 amThanks for leaving comments, Sidedish and Trista! Glad you enjoyed this, Trista, and thanks for your recommendations for the chilies to use.
April
November 18, 2011 at 11:54 amI have probably made over a dozen different chilis and this by far was the absolute best. I could not get enough of it. I cooked my sweet potato in the chili though and added an extra cup of liquid to make up for that. I also let it simmer for over an hour to help the flavors combine. So delicious!
Nava
November 18, 2011 at 4:58 pmThanks, April. It’s also one of my fave quick chili recipes; I love the colors.
DeeCee
January 3, 2013 at 11:21 pmMade this tonight for our vegetarian potluck. It was a big hit! Everyone loved it and couldn’t get enough. I had to comment because it really was great. Our goal is to get more people to see that Vegetarian & Vegan foods are actually as delicious as they are good for you. I chose this, because it was also an easy meal, another plus for busy families. Thank you so much!
Nava
January 4, 2013 at 6:43 amThanks so much —glad you and your friends enjoyed it, and thank you for spreading the good word on veg food in this way. I’ve always found that winning people over goes much better with yummy food than with lectures!
Shay
January 8, 2013 at 5:45 pmI will be the first to admit, I was a bit skeptical that black beans and sweet potato would be tasty. My aunt was is NOT an easy person to please with new recipes, can’t stop talking about how delicious it is!! I had to leave a comment after she packed some leftovers for lunch!! This recipe is definitely a keeper and will be made again!! Thanks!!!
Debbie A
April 2, 2013 at 1:43 pmI was just wondering if it’s possible to get the nutritinal information on the dish. It’s absolutely wonderful!
Nava
April 2, 2013 at 2:35 pmDebbie, this just happens to be adapted from one of my books, The Vegetarian Family Cookbook, so I do have the nutritional info. In this web version, I added an extra sweet potato, but the rest of the recipe is really similar. You might add a few more calories and fiber to these stats per serving: Per serving (based on 6 servings): 202 calories, 5g fat, 8g protein, 8.5g fiber, 0 cholesterol, 222 mg sodium. Glad you enjoyed it!
Krithika
November 28, 2013 at 7:18 pmTried this today and the whole family loved it. Fire roasted tomatoes were a great addition in this recipe. Also tried the Jicama salad and the roasted Brussel sprouts. Everything tasted awesome and my 9 year old daughter gives it five stars…
🙂
CamMan
January 14, 2014 at 1:16 amI have been making this for years and it is so good especially for vegetarians and vegans. Does anyone recommend a certain cheese for non vegans though?
Nava
January 15, 2014 at 11:33 pmCam Man, glad this recipe has served you in good stead for years! Not sure I understand the question, though, as this doesn’t call for cheese.
Susan
February 18, 2014 at 4:46 pmJust made this for dinner and it was delicious! My meat loving son said it was the best chilli ever. Here in Portugal our local bakers bake sweet potatoes in the wood ovens, so when I saw your post I knew what to make for dinner. Simple to make and going to be a favorite! Thank you!
Nava
February 18, 2014 at 5:06 pmSusan, how nice to hear from Portugal! And I’m so glad you and your son enjoyed this chili.
Linda Rodriguez
December 5, 2014 at 4:12 pmI make this every year for a Christmas party where I know that there are vegans, lacto-ovo vegetarians, and gluten sensitive people. I make a double batch because the carnivores eat it up as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Stefanie
November 24, 2015 at 11:30 pmHi! I’m making this for Thanksgiving and I was wondering if I can make it on Wednesday and refrigerate it overnight, or would that affect the texture/taste?
Rochelle
November 26, 2017 at 7:53 pmThis was my first vegan dish for the holiday, and I am in love with it. The vegan chili came out better than I expected it. Full of flavor.
Nava
November 26, 2017 at 8:25 pmThanks so much, Rochelle, glad you enjoyed this!