If you love chili, this recipe will convince you that meat has little to do with it. The thick, spicy, and tomatoey sauce with all kinds of textures simmering to completion together in one bowl is what defines any chili. Sweet potato chili is my favorite vegan chili recipe, in which mashed sweet potatoes play a pivotal role as a thickener, while Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce brings a comforting smokiness. This chili is a spicy/sweet combination made in heaven; and if you’ve never cooked with an avocado leaf, now is the time to start.
Find canned Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce in the Mexican section of any grocery store.
Chipotle peppers are Jalapeño peppers that have been dried and smoked, and their smoky aroma is reminiscent a backyard barbecue. Why would you NOT want that flavor transferred to your vegan chili? Store-bought Chipotles in a can are pre-marinated in an Adobo sauce consisting of vinegar, tomato puree, salt, and “spices”. The sauce is as a flavorful starter ingredient to use in countless recipes other than chili … it’s also amazing with mashed potatoes.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Avocado leaf and Mexican oregano (pictured above) are two herbs that will make your vegan chili taste one more step closer to some authentic Mexican food you might have tasted in a restaurant. Before I moved to Astoria, by default I used bay leaves for making soups, stews and chilis. However, after seeing all sorts of different herbs in local Mexican grocery stores, I figured it was time to try things differently. Avocado leaf imparts an anise-like sweetness, which is a welcomed balance alongside the spicy and smoky flavors. Mexican oregano is more bold and is less floral than other oreganos, so it can hold it’s own when paired with spicy elements such as Chipotle, Serrano and Poblano peppers.
Why Vegan chili?
When I told a coworker I was writing a post on vegan chili, he said “what’s the point of that?”. My answer was … “You can devour the entire bowl and walk away with a “light-full” feeling instead of that “sluggishly-full” feeling you encounter from your body digesting meat-based chili”.
Another benefit to vegan chili is that it’s rather quick and convenient to make. Because you don’t want all the vegetables cooked down to nothing, there’s no need to simmer it for hours. You only need to cook down enough to create a hearty and flavorful broth, allowing the flavors to become one with each other. And speaking of convenience … as beans are the usual source of protein for plant-based chili, canned beans are a huge time saver. Just be sure to thoroughly rinse them to remove the starchy, slimy liquid. That said, I always recommend soaking fresh beans if you have the time because the quality is superior and they don’t have the added sodium.
Preparing your Veggies
Cooking with fresh, plant-based ingredients does take a while due to the massive amount of slicing and dicing involved in the preparation, but the end result is super rewarding. The smaller your veggies are chopped, the more flavors will be released into your vegan chili, so take your time and treat the preparation as a separate event. My recipe involves roasting peppers on the stovetop, dicing all the onions, stripping corn from the cob, and rinsing the beans. This could all take an hour or so. Also, have lots of bowls on hand to contain your veggies, so everything is ready to be added at a moment’s notice while you build flavors.
Preparing stovetop-roasted poblano peppers by removing the skins, inner ribs and seeds takes time but well worth it.
Veggie Stock for sweet potato chili
This recipe relies on mashed sweet potatoes as a thickener, while the moisture comes from the liquid extracted from the tomatoes, combined with a good veggie stock. When shopping, look for a low-sodium stock and refer to this article from The Kitchn to make an informed decision. But still … if you have time, I highly recommend making your own veggie stock. To do this, gradually collect any vegetable scraps (skins, ribs, cores and stems) from any previous cooking and store them in the freezer. Simmer them in a pot in addition to the veggie scraps from this chili preparation. For this recipe you will have sweet potato skins leftover from dicing them earlier, so definitely add those to your stock pot as well. Fill the pot with just enough water to meet the level of the contents. Unlike meat stock, you don’t need to cook the heck out of a veggies stock for hours. Bring it to a brief boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes on low, and you’re done.
Add sweet potato skins to your vegetable shaving when making homemade vegetable stock.
Chipotle Sweet Potato Chili
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato (or 2 small), peeled and diced
- 1 large white onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 Poblano pepper
- 1 Serrano pepper
- 3 stalks of scallions
- 1 can of Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
- 15 oz. can black beans
- 15 oz. can kidney beans
- 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 stalk of fresh corn
- 1-2 Avocado leaves (or Bay leaves)
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons Mexican oregano
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- To prepare all your base vegetables: Roast the peppers over an open flame on the stovetop, peel the skins and remover the core, inner ribs, and seeds. Mice the garlic, Serrano, and 3 Chipotle peppers. Dice cut your onions, scallions, roasted red and Poblano peppers into 1/4-inch sizes. Also, cut down your tomatoes to 1/4-inch sizes. Keep all veggies and aromatics separated. Reserve the sauces from the canned tomatoes and chipotle peppers.
- To cook the sweet potatoes: Peel and dice them into 1/4-inch pieces. Then toss them in some olive oil and roast them on a flat sheet pan in at 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes. If you have an air fryer, cook them at 365 degrees for about 150 minutes. Or, to boil them … in a small pot, bring about 2 cups of salted water to a boil and let them cook down until just until tender. No matter how you cook your sweet potatoes, divide them in half. Mash half of them in a small bowl and set aside the dices ones.
- Meanwhile … in a large pot over medium heat, sauté the onions, garlic, scallions, Serrano, Chipotle peppers, poblano peppers, and red bell peppers until the onions begin to brown slightly. Stir in 3 tablespoons of Adobo sauce cumin, Mexican oregano and salt until all veggies and aromatics are thoroughly coated. Cook this until the Adobo sauce begins to caramelize slightly and herbs and spices become aromatic … about 5 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock, diced sweet potatoes and tomatoes. As you stir, scrape up as much as possible all tiny bits of caramelized goodness on the bottom of the pan. Bring everything to a boil for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to low.
- To thicken your sweet potato chili, stir in the mashed sweet potatoes, simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently.
- For optimal flavor, allow you chili to rest (preferably overnight in the fridge) and allow the flavors to meld together. Garnish with avocados, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, tostada chips, and the Cashew Lime “Crema” recipe further below.
Yield: 6-8 servings
Cashew Lime “Crema” for Sweet Potato Chili
What You need
- 2/3 cup raw cashews
- 2/3 cup water
- juice of 1 lime
- white vinegar to taste (about 2 tablespoons)
What to do
In a mini blender/Nutriubullet purée the water, cashews, lime, and vinegar until it turns creamy. Because measuring cashews can be irregular, you may need to add slightly more cashews than water. It may take up to 5 minutes to resemble real Mexican crema. Be patient.
