A good chilli is so heartening in the depth of winter; it’s ultimate comfort food! But what if you want one when the weather is a little warmer? This chilli, which is made with sweet potato and black beans has a slightly summery, Mexican feel about it but better yet, it is so quick to make! It only takes 30 minutes, or 15 minutes if you cook the potato in advance. It’s perfect to knock up when you get home from work late and want something nourishing and flavoursome.
Normally I serve traditional chilli on a bed of brown rice but because this has sweet potato as well as beans I serve it on cauliflower rice and it’s filling enough!
Hacks: Why not double the recipe and freeze a batch? You could also add any leftover veg such as spinach, carrots or courgette for a vitamin packed meal. It would also be scrumptious as a taco or burrito filling or on a bed of courgette noodles!
This recipe has been adapted from the BBC Magazine ‘Good Food’ (Summer 2020)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 sweet potatoes cut into 2.5cm chunks
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 red chilli (if you want it extra hot otherwise leave it out as it’s spicy without it!)
- Small bunch of coriander- a handful of stalks chopped (around 2 TBL)
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chipotle paste
- 1 heaped tsp yeast extract (eg marmite or vegemite)
- 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
- 400g can of black beans (rinsed)
- 1-2 TBL cocoa powder
- ½ TBL coconut or brown sugar
- Lime juice (to taste)
- Guacamole or plant-based yoghurt to taste
Method:
- Heat the oven to 180c (350f) Put the sweet potato on some baking paper on a baking tray. You can toss with some seasoning such as paprika and cumin if you like. Bake for 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- Put a little olive oil in a pan or pot and add the chopped onion and fry gently on low-medium heat for a few minutes until soft. I add a little water to the pan to prevent sticking.
- Add the garlic, chilli (if using) and finely chopped coriander stalks and cook for another couple of minutes.
- Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute more.
- Stir in the chipotle paste, yeast extract, cocoa powder, sugar, tomatoes and half a can of water, swirling it around the tin to wash out some of the tomato.
- Simmer the sauce while the sweet potato cooks.
- Once cooked, add the sweet potato along with the can of black beans and simmer for another 5 minutes .
- Check the seasoning and add salt if needed and a squeeze of lime juice!
- Serve on a bed of brown rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice with a handful of chopped coriander and some guacamole.
If you’ve tried this recipe I would love to hear from you! Please leave a comment below or SUBSCRIBE via email so you never miss a delicious recipe again! 😀