When I need a crowd-pleasing recipe that’s packed with protein and fiber and comes together in just one pot, chili is my go-to meal. This Sweet Potato and Black Bean Turkey Chili is nourishing, comforting, and easily customizable depending what you have on hand. This recipe was originally developed for my “Let’s Get Cozy” bonus dinner plan to accompany Don’t Think About Dinner during it’s pre-launch, and is now officially unlocked for my second edition of 10 Days of Fall Dinners series. Always a hit, and perfect for meal prepping during busy autumn weeks!

large pot of Sweet Potato and Black Bean Turkey Chili topped with cilantro and shredded cheddar cheese

bowl of Sweet Potato and Black Bean Turkey Chili

ingredients for Sweet Potato and Black Bean Turkey Chili including ground turkey, green bell pepper, black beans, onion, cheddar cheese, spiced, sweet potato, and crushed tomatoes

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Turkey Chili Ingredient Notes:

Ground turkey: I like to opt for ground turkey as a lean protein option, however you could also use ground beef or chicken here. If using ground beef, I recommend a 90/10 or above ratio, and soaking up any additional oil with a paper towel once done cooking.

Sweet Potato: Adding any potato to a soup or chili brings a whole new level of flavor and texture to the meal. Sweet potatoes obviously bring a level of sweetness that balances out the acidic tomatoes, but you could also use russet potatoes here for a slightly different taste, but still hearty bite.

Crushed tomatoes: I love to use crushed tomatoes in soups and chilis to add back some acidity, and add some texture to the mixture. They also require much less simmer time to achieve the same thick texture vs their whole tomato counterparts.

Green bell pepper: You can use any bell pepper color of your choice here, although I like to opt for green for an earthier flavor. Red bell pepper will bring a sweeter bite to the chili. A green bell pepper is just simply an unripe red bell pepper that will change colors overtime to turn yellow, then orange, then red!

Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is the finishing touch that is mixed into the soup. I love pairing cilantro with spicy recipes because the contrast is so tasty. Be sure to save some extra cilantro to top off each soup both with, alongside any other topping you prefer such as extra jalapeno slices or shredded cheese.

Onion & Garlic: The building blocks of pretty much any soup recipe is onion and garlic. They add a base of beautiful flavor to soup and perfectly caramelize in the pot to prepare it for the other ingredients. A sweet yellow onion is best but feel free to substitute for a red onion for a bit of a different flavor.

spice mixture of cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and chili powder

ground turkey and peppers and onions in large pot

spiced, crushed tomatoes, sweet potato, and black beans added to pot

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Turkey Chili

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

5.0 from 1 vote

Servings

–

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cook time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

FOR THE CHILI
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder (1⁄2 teaspoon for less heat)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and small-diced (about 1 cup)
1 large yellow onion, small-diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound ground turkey
28 -ounce can crushed tomatoes
15.5 -ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium sweet potato, small-diced (about 1 1⁄2 cups)
FOR SERVING
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese or dairy-free shredded cheese (about 3
ounces), optional
roughly chopped cilantro
1 lime, quartered

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, and chili powder. Set aside.
Make the chili: Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a dutch oven or heavy lidded pot over medium heat. Add the pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened and translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan to make a large hole in the center of the pot. Add the remaining oil and the ground turkey to the center, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring to break up the large chunks, until browned, 7 to 9 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and sprinkle the spice mixture over the turkey and vegetables and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes, black beans, sweet potatoes, and 1 3/4 cups of water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are fork tender, 18 to 22 minutes. If needed, season with more salt.
To serve: Spoon the chili into four bowls and evenly divide the shredded cheese on top of each. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with a lime wedge for squeezing.

Notes

Store it: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat it: From the refrigerator, microwave until warm, 1 to 2 minutes, or return to a pot over medium-low and cook until warmed. From the freezer, thaw in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, then follow the same instructions.
Ground turkey: Swap for ground beef or ground chicken. Use up what you have on hand.
Dairy-free: Omit the cheddar. To make this vegan and vegetarian: Omit the
cheddar and the turkey. Add an extra can of black beans.
For added protein, use bone broth instead of water in step 4.