Beef & Sweet Potato Chili

*This Beef & Sweet Potato Chili is loaded with savory, spicy, and sweet flavors. This hearty and comforting one-pot stew is perfect for fall dinners.*

Weather is weird sometimes. Weather in San Francisco – even more weird. If any of you have stepped foot in this city in July or August, you know exactly what I’m talking about (the fog, mostly). The truth is, sometimes I dream about living in a place with real seasons. I imagine bundling up in front of the fire on a cold winter night – listening to the wind whip outside and watching snow drift past the window. Experiencing a summer day so hot that ice cream is really the only thing that makes sense for dinner. Yes, I do realize that both of these lovely scenarios also come with not-so-nice consequences (shoveling snow and practically melting from the heat are just two such examples). And this does make me pretty grateful for the relatively temperate situation we have year round here in California.

I think what is really most appealing to me about cold, cold winters and hot, hot summers is the changing of seasons – that small sliver of time when you can feel the air changing and smell in the air the faintest hint of the new season to come. The first real ray of truly warm sun after a long and cold winter; the bone chilling breeze of a dark autumn evening. We don’t really get that here in San Francisco. Yes, there’s a chill in the air today. Yes, that same chill (and the wind, and the fog) was here for most of August and September, too. Yet I’m still trying to embrace the fall season. So I make chili.

This beef and sweet potato chili is the most warm and comforting dinner on a cold and dark evening. Something about this stew just makes it perfect to pair with the red-gold leaves of autumn and Halloween pumpkins. Think layers upon layers of flavor – from the base of fire roasted tomatoes, with plenty of chili powder, a hit of heat from cayenne pepper, and the nice sweetness of cinnamon and a bit of cocoa powder (surprise!) to really round everything out. For some extra vegetable-goodness (and deliciousness) I added sweet potatoes to the classic beef and bean combination. Serve this chili with sour cream and grated cheese, plus some cornbread on the side, for the perfect hearty fall dinner.

Beef & Sweet Potato Chili

Servings: 8
Difficulty: Easy
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This Beef & Sweet Potato Chili is loaded with savory, spicy, and sweet flavors. This hearty and comforting one-pot stew is perfect for fall dinners.

Leave out the beef, if you’d like, for a delicious vegan chili.
Feel free to use frozen bell pepper strips and/or corn kernels.
Herbes de Provence is a dried herb mixture usually containing thyme, oregano, rosemary, and other herbs. If you can’t find it, feel free to substitute oregano, or leave it out completely.
If you have the time, try increasing the simmer time from 45 minutes to 60 or 75 – the chili will only become more tasty the longer it cooks!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 pound ground beef
1 red bell pepper
2 sweet potatoes
1 cup corn kernels
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 15-ounce can black beans
1 15-ounce can kidney beans
2 15-ounce cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth

Directions

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Peel and dice the onion.
Add chopped onion to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly browned, about five minutes.
Peel and finely mince the garlic cloves. Reduce heat to medium, then add garlic to onions and cook a few minutes longer.
Add the ground beef. Cook, breaking meat up with a wooden spoon, until beef is browned, about five minutes.
Slice the bell pepper in half, remove the stem and seeds, and dice the pepper.
Scrub the sweet potatoes under cold water, then dry. Dice sweet potatoes into small cubes.
Add pepper, sweet potatoes, and corn kernels to pot and cook until vegetables are slightly softened, about ten minutes.
Add chili powder, cayenne, herbes de Provence, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir to coat meat and vegetables and cook for two minutes.
Rinse both cans of beans.
Add beans, tomatoes, and broth to the pot.
Raise heat to medium-high. Let liquid come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes.

The Millennial Cook