It’s that time of year friends; I always find myself craving the hearty warmth of a bowl of chili come January. But with the new year’s goals to refresh, recharge and renew, I’m leaning towards a healthy, vegetarian (and vegan) option to satisfy those cravings. Enter my Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes…each bite is just as as comforting as it sounds.
Like nachos (you know I love my nachos as seen here, here and here), stuffed sweet potatoes offer a plethora of options for loading and stacking and filling. Here, I used a mixture of three types of beans (pinto, kidney and black beans) to make up the base of the chili. Next, I added white onion, green onion, garlic, a few jalapenos and all the spices to give it enough heat, and just a bit of corn to give it that sweet. See, I’m such a sucker for the culmination of the sweetness of the sweet potatoes with the spice of the cayenne, paprika and cumin. It’s the perfect counterbalance that has me going back for more and more. And with plenty of protein and fiber packed in each bite, I can happily say it’s an incredibly filling and healthy dish. Enjoy! Truly, MKR
- 4 large sweet potatoes, baked
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 32- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can dark red kidney beans
- 1 can pinto beans
- 1 cup roasted corn
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- Toppings: chopped green onion, white onion, cilantro, sour cream (optional)
- Bake your sweet potatoes in the oven (400 degrees) until full cooked. 20-40 minutes depending on size. I like to wrap my sweet potatoes in tin foil and prick with a fork to allow for faster cooking.
- While sweet potatoes are cooking begin your chili. Over medium heat, add oil to a deep pot or dutch oven and add garlic, onion, peppers, and jalepeno. Saute 5 minutes to soften vegetables. Next add vegetable broth, tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, pinto beans, and corn; stirring to combine.
- Season chili with cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and salt. Thicken chili by stirring in tomato paste. Simmer over low heat about 10 minutes. Place sweet potatoes in a large casserole dish and split. Scoop chili over each potato and garnish with toppings. Enjoy!
