Sweet Potato Chili

It's fall and time for another hearty warm dinner recipe! Dig in to this deliciousness. This chili is healthy, easy and inexpensive.

 adapted from pinchofyum.com

1 tablespoon oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
11⁄2 lbs turkey or chopped chicken
1 1/2-2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
3 sweet potatoes, skin removed and chopped into small pieces (this was about 6 cups)

3 cloves garlic
2 cups water
2-3 cups broth (start with 2)
1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne for spice (more to taste!)

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a heavy, deep pot. Add the onion, turkey, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and 1 tablespoon taco seasoning. When the turkey is browned and the onions are soft, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the sweet potatoes to the same pot with the remaining spices and stir to combine. When the sweet potatoes have browned just slightly, add the garlic, water, and broth. Bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the sweet potatoes are very soft.

Add the browned turkey, black beans, and cayenne - stir to combine.

Pinch of Yum Notes

The saltiness and flavor of the soup will depend on your taco seasoning. I added some salt and pepper and the end, which I recommend - just taste and adjust as you need to. At the risk of sounding crazy, I also added a spoonful or two of brown sugar and some red wine vinegar to give it some tang. I also added about a cup of cooked quinoa a few times to make it a little more hearty - that was good, too. You can top this with sour cream, cilantro, cheese, red onions, tortilla chips, avocado, or whatever else you like! The third cup of broth can be added at the end if you feel like it needs to be thinned out at all.

My Notes:
The original recipe called for using a blender to puree the potatoes after they cooked. So I did that. But I won't do it next time. I think the texture will be more appealing as I've written the recipe here. Also, if you use left over turkey from Thanksgiving don't put it in with the onions at the beginning. I would throw it in at the end with the beans. I also didn't use any cayenne at the end and thought the spice level was perfect as it was.

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