Sweet Potato Turkey Chili is both hearty & delicious. Filled with ground turkey, sweet potatoes & black beans for a unique twist on a comfort food classic.
Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
Just a few more days till Halloween! I can’t believe how fast this month has gone. I always feel like once we hit October, the rest of the year just flies by. One of our Halloween traditions is to make chili that day to eat before trick or treating. My mom has been doing this for as long as I can remember and now I do the same with my family. It’s such a great idea because it’s easy to put together and can sit in a slow cooker while you are enjoying the night. This dish was inspired by a delicious pumpkin chili my sister made recently. But instead of pumpkin, this recipe uses mashed sweet potatoes to thicken it but also gives it a wonderful flavor. Not to mention, it’s perfect for Fall!
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
This turkey chili is pretty simple, but it packs a ton of flavor. Here is what you will need to grab:
- Sweet Potatoes
- Ground Turkey
- Black Beans
- Tomatoes
- Red Onion
- Vegetable Stock
- and of course…Spices & Olive Oil
How to Make Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
There isn’t much to making this Sweet Potato Turkey Chili, but I’ll walk you through it. You do need to steam and mash your sweet potatoes, but that can be done in advance or it can be done while you are putting the rest of it together. Here’s how to make it:
- Steam your sweet potatoes.
- While they are cooking, saute your onion in olive oil with the turkey and spices.
- Add in black beans, tomatoes, stock, then simmer.
- Mash your sweet potatoes and add them to the chili.
- Simmer a little bit more to let all the flavors blend together.
- Enjoy!
How to Steam Sweet Potatoes
I use a couple of different ways to steam my sweet potatoes. You can either do them in an instant pot or you can do it on the stovetop using a steamer basket. I’ve outlined the steps below for each method so you can decide which option works best for you.
Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot
- Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1″ cubes.
- Place them in the pressure cooker with 1 cup of water.
- Make sure the release valve is in the sealing position, place the lid on and lock it into position.
- Using the manual setting, set to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Once it comes to pressure, it will seal and begin the cooking time.
- Once cook time is complete, carefully quick release the pressure using the release valve.
- Remove the lid and scoop out the sweet potatoes with a slotted spoon.
- Mash the cooked sweet potatoes to the desired consistency.
Sweet Potatoes on the Stovetop
- Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1″ cubes.
- Place them in a steamer basket in a pot on the stove.
- Add about 1″ of water to the pot and turn onto medium-high heat.
- Once the water at the bottom starts to simmer, cover with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes until fork tender.
- Mash the cooked sweet potatoes to the desired consistency.
Now that you have everything put together, you can leave this to simmer on low on the stovetop or you can transfer it to a slow cooker set on warm if you don’t plan to eat it right away.
Sweet Potato Turkey Chili
Ingredients
- 1 ½ – 2 lbs sweet potatoes
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 ½ pound ground turkey
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large tomatoes
- 2 – 3 cups vegetable stock
Instructions
- Peel sweet potatoes and chop into 1" cubes. Begin to steam using either an instant pot or a steamer basket.
- INSTANT POT: Add peeled and cut sweet potatoes to a pressure cooker with 1 cup of water. Cover with lid and cook on manual pressure for 10 minutes. Using the release valve, carefully quick release the pressure when cook time is completed.
- STEAMER BASKET: Add peeled and cut sweet potatoes to a steamer basket in a pot with 1" of water. Bring water to a simmer over medium-high heat, cover and cook approximately 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
- While sweet potatoes are steaming, dice the onions and chop the tomatoes.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in diced onion and saute for 2-3 minutes till softened and slightly translucent. Add in ground turkey, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Cook until turkey is browned and cooked through, approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Once the turkey is cooked through, add in chopped tomatoes, black beans and 2 cups of vegetable stock. Stir to combine. Leave simmering over medium-low heat while you finish the sweet potatoes.
- When the sweet potatoes are done steaming, remove them and mash to the desired consistency. For a chunkier chili, only mash them a little bit. For a smoother chili, mash thoroughly or puree with an immersion blender or food processor.
- Add mashed sweet potatoes into the chili and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chili will reduce slightly over time and the sweet potatoes will thicken it. If it becomes too thick, add in more vegetable stock. Season with salt & pepper.
Notes
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If you are in need of some other quick and easy dinner ideas for Halloween night so you can get to trick or treating, here are some more ideas:
