Sweet Potato Chili ⋆ Growing Up Kemper

Remember about three weeks ago when it hit 90 degrees in Kansas City before we got day after day of beautiful fall temps? Sunshine and 60 degrees almost every single day for the last three weeks and it’s been absolutely incredible. Guess what? Snow is forecasted today. Forget Halloween. Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎅

Kidding! But holy cow! Snow?! I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to get the kids ready for Trick or Treating with a temperature of 38 and snow. 😮 Hoping my kids have a strong will and won’t let the weather “snow on their parade” for Thursday’s Trick or Treating.

Speaking of…need a last minute easy DIY? Colt will be wearing this cute Fire Truck made out of a diaper box on Thursday, and I can proudly say it took just one naptime to make!

So in the meantime, I’m going to make all the warm meals this week and one of my very favorites (I did a recipe post on last year…but worth it to send it out again!) is a Sweet Potato Chili.

It skips the beans and subs it out for hearty sweet potatoes instead. You get a super food in place of one of my least favorite foods: beans. It’s filling and hearty. A touch of sweet and a tad of hot. It’s delicious topped with a little honey cornbread, shredded cheddar and green onions (and some sour cream if you’re a Midwesterner like me!).

This is my go-to for a chili cook-off, for a meal for a mom of a fall or winter baby, and almost every football weekend. It’s a household favorite from my whole crew and I can’t wait to hear what you think of it, too!

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef
2 cups yellow onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno (stem removed, finely diced)
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into roughly 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1- 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

In a large pot or dutch oven, add olive oil over high heat. Add the ground beef in an even layer and cook until deeply browned, about 8 minutes. Drain some of the excess fat, leaving about 1 Tablespoon remaining in the pot.

Add onions, jalapeno, garlic, red pepper, and sweet potatoes. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in chili powder and cum and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the crushed tomatoes and beef broth and bring to a strong simmer.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 45-50 minutes until sweet potatoes are fork tender.

Turn off heat, allow to cool slightly, and serve. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, green onions, sour cream, honey cornbread, or your favorite chili toppings!

Happy Chili Season!