When I was in college, I would make this one-pot sweet potato turkey chili a lot. It was one of the only big meals I felt really proud of—along with my slightly amateur attempt at making tostadas and quesadillas. I guess you could say I had a thing for Tex-Mex-style foods. I still do, actually. Anyways…I made this sweet potato turkey chili so many times that I got so sick of it and didn’t make it again for a long time. Then yesterday happened.
It was one of those really hard days. Work has seriously been ramping up, I’m trying to finish up on a few side projects, and oh, it’s the holidays during a pandemic and somehow we are trying to navigate that. My husband and I are skipping the crowds and flying early to see family (leaving this weekend, actually)—and we’ll be staying put for a few weeks. I’m beyond excited to finally see them, but it feels like eons until I’ll actually get to that moment. Especially at the rate this week is already going.
Do you ever have weeks like that? When it happens to me, I’m all about cooking myself really, really good food. I’m not talking junk food—I’m talking deeply rich meals. Big pots of stew or chili that take hours to make.
When I had a little lunch break lull yesterday, I whipped up my one-pot sweet potato turkey chili. The one recipe I would always count on to be a comforting, filling lunch as I studied away in my tiny Chicago apartment. Which was almost 10 years ago. I can’t even wrap my head around that one.
So today, I’m showing you how to make my one pot sweet potato turkey chili. It’s a tried-and-true recipe—a recipe I tested over, and over, and over again so I could get it right. And because the ingredients in it were really cheap for a college student.
Just a little tip! When I make one-pot meals, I like to cook them in my dutch oven. It’s the same dutch oven I used to bake bread, make jambalaya, and bolognese. And a whole lot of other things, but those are the ones I have on my blog, and I’m all about showing off my recipes.
I also love to cook meals out of this dutch oven cookbook!
I mean this pot is like having all kinds of appliances in one. It slow cooks, it goes in the oven for bread or casserole type dishes, it’s big enough for soup, and even great for making dump cakes!
As for the chili, I actually love to make a big pot of this and meal prep for lunches. I’ll store them in these individual glass meal prep containers, which will microwave well. That means fewer dishes you have to use, and having fewer dishes to wash at the end of the day is always a win in my book.
Alright, I’m pretty sure that’s all I have to tell you about this sweet potato turkey chili, so let’s get into it.
One-Pot Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 green bell pepper diced small
- 1 yellow onion diced small
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cubed small
- 1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 15 oz. can of black beans drained
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Shredded cheddar cheese for garnish
- Sour cream for garnish
Instructions
- Heat up the dutch oven on medium-low heat. Add the olive oil.
- Cook the green bell pepper, onion, and garlic cloves in the oil until the vegetables are soft—about 5 minutes.
- Add in the ground turkey. Divide into small bite-size pieces using a wooden spoon and mix together. Cook for another 3 minutes.
- Scoop in the tomato paste, mix together. Cook until the meat is cooked through—about another 3 to 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, dried oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Mix to combine.
- Toss in the sweet potatoes, crushed tomatoes, drained black beans, and chicken broth. Stir to combine.
- Turn the heat down low to a simmer and cover with the lid. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with bread or cornbread. Garnish bowls with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.
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FYI, turkey is not listed in the ingredients in the recipe. Just so you can fix…
Thanks for the recipe!
Ah thank you, just fixed it!