I prefer one-dish meals over the traditional “main and two sides” structure these days because I like to save time and effort. BUT sometimes you just really need a side dish, and when I do, I try to keep them as simple as possible. Not only do I want to save effort, but I really don’t want to upstage my main dish. That’s why simple recipes like these Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes are so great. They’re easy and serve their purpose. Nothing more, nothing less. :)
How to Season Roasted Sweet Potatoes
I used a mild chili powder blend to season the sweet potatoes, plus just a little salt. That’s all they need–really! The natural subtle sweetness of the sweet potatoes perfectly balances the mild, earthy flavor of the chili powder and a pinch of salt always helps the flavor pop.
What Kind of Chili Powder is Best?
I use McCormick’s chili powder, which has no heat and very little salt. If you’re using a different brand, make sure to check the ingredients and adjust the salt if needed and/or be prepared for a some heat. Some brands of chili powder are spicy, some aren’t. Spicy chili powder goes just as well with sweet potatoes as mild, so either can be used.
What to Serve with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
I made these Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes to go along side my Cumin Lime Chicken Drumsticks. They cooked in the oven at the same times as the chicken so everything was done at one time, and the offered the perfect complimentary colors and flavors. Everything just went together so very well.
Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Servings 4Ingredients
- 2 lbs. sweet potatoes ($2.08)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder* ($0.30)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.24)
- 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste) ($0.02)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Wash and peel the sweet potatoes, then cut them into 1/2 inch cubes. Place the cubed sweet potatoes into a large bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, chili powder, and salt. Toss the potatoes until evenly coated in oil and spices.
- Spread the seasoned sweet potatoes out over the prepared baking sheet so they are in a single layer. Roast the potatoes in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, stirring once half way through. After 45 minutes, the sweet potatoes should be soft and slightly browned on the edges. Total cooking time will ultimately depend on the size of your cubes.
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Notes
Nutrition
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Roast Sweet Potatoes – Step by Step Photos
Wash and peel two sweet potatoes (about 2 lbs. total). Preheat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with foil.
Cut the sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. The easiest way to do this is to first cut the potatoes into 1/2-inch thick slices, then cut the slices crosswise into cubes.
Place the cubed potatoes in a large bowl and add 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp chili powder, and 1/4 tsp salt. I use McCormick’s chili powder, which is mild and contains very little salt. Every brand is different, though, so be aware that if yours contains cayenne or another spicy chili, you could end up with some spicy sweet potatoes. Likewise, if your chili powder contains more salt, you may need to reduce or eliminate the salt I have listed in the ingredients.
Toss the sweet potatoes until they are coated in the oil and spices.
Roast the sweet potatoes in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, stirring once about half way through. When finished, they’ll be soft and slightly browned on the edges. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
I added a little fresh cilantro to my Chili Roasted Sweet Potatoes just for color in the photos and because I had it on hand from the Cilantro Lime Chicken. It’s totally not needed to make these sweet potatoes mouth-wateringly good, though!
Ok I have these roasting in the oven right now, I also added a teaspoon of smoked paprika and a quarter teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Hopefully I didn’t add too much smoked paprika?? I’m excited to see how these turn out, I’m also making the cilantro lime chicken :)
So good, so easy, so cheap! And, so perfect with the cilantro lime chicken.
No need to peel the potatoes, by the way. I suppose it’s a personal preference thing and maybe some people like them peeled, but personally I love the texture of having some bites with skin!
Made these last night and they are great! I found that the sweetness of the potatoes really came through, they weren’t salty at all, and I did add the salt in the recipe along with the chili powder. I think the key is to cut them quite small ; they were perfectly cooked in 45 minutes. Delicious! Love your blog!
made these last night and just had them with some eggs for breakfast… amazing!!
How well do these potatoes freeze? I know regular russets don’t hold up to freezing after being cooked – they get mealy and don’t hold their shape very well.
I personally can’t eat sweet potatoes but I cook for people who do. I prepare frozen meals for them to heat and eat.
Has anyone tried freezing cooked sweet potatoes? Thank you!
Oh wow! I actually made sweet potatoes like this last night before I saw this post. I tossed the cubed potatoes with chili powder, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. I also roasted some broccoli with them, but those I just seasoned with salt and pepper.
I’m eating that for lunch today over some of your golden rice, and for protein I have home-cooked chickpeas.
Guess what–your paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder are the main ingredients of salt free chili powder. The only thing you missed was cumin. Here’s an example that does include some oregano, which I don’t care for in my chili powder–http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-chili-powder-410093. Do a search and you will find even more variations.
I adore roasted sweet potatoes, but usually add diced onion and bell pepper to mine. Sometimes I use chili seasonings, other times I add peeled garlic cloves and rosemary
eeeeek! It should just be ground up dried chiles, though I don’t doubt that paprika+garlic+onion+cumin will render some seriously tasty food.
YUM!
So glad you posted this recipe! I’ve made this several times with no recipe and cutting the potatoes in larger half-moons. Now I have an actual recipe and the smaller cubes might cook more quickly.
These look so delicious! I love that they have a lot of flavor with the chili powder, but are not high in salt. These would be great with some scrambled or fried eggs in a breakfast hash!
I have to agree with you there! :)
I love your blog and this is an easy and delicious recipe, so I hate to have to say this, but according to the McCormick website their chili powder does contain salt. Just thought you ought to know. Sorry.
Ahh, thanks for pointing that out! Well, it must be a very small amount because I can’t taste it when I taste the chili powder straight from the bottle. :) Editing the post to reflect. Thank you!
I used to love one-pot meals but now that I have a 4 year old and 2 year old eating, one-pot meals don’t fly so well. Something about the food mixing together throws them off :P All of your bowl meals are life savers though! I consider this another budget bytes bowl meal with the coconut rice, cilantro lime drumsticks and sweet potatoes. It’s pretty much toddler finger food (since the ingredients can all stay separate!) in a form that my husband and I like too haha. So thanks for another bowl meal I can add to my rotation!
Super simple side dish. I’m in! I find that we eat grilled chicken most nights and I’m always looking for a side dish to go-with. My kids will actually eat sweet potatoes. Because honestly, I’m sick of throwing out and wasting food they won’t eat! So frustrating.
I would love to make this and many of your other recipes containing chili powder, but the ones I’ve tried so far have always been a complete bust. The problem is the (non)availability of American-style chili powder in Europe (or at least where I live :)). What we get when we buy chili powder is simply ground chili peppers, not a spice blend.
Is there any chance you could do a good chili powder recipe to make my own?
I found a couple different versions that you might be able to use. Here’s one from Alton Brown that uses dried chiles, although it might be spicy. This second one uses bottled spices and although it doesn’t have chiles in it, it will be similar to the blend that I use and will work in the recipes where I use chili powder.
I don’t know where you live, but when I lived in Germany, I found that “chili con carne” seasoning was a decent substitute for chili powder. It’s a blend that comes in the same kind of little seasoning bottle and has only an extremely mild heat.
I don’t know if I can post links here, but this is what I’m talking about: http://www.so-schmeckts.de/chili-con-carne-gewuerzzubereitung-fuchs–2
I made this exact thing a few weeks back. I don’t like sweet potatoes but am trying to find ways to enjoy them because they’re so healthy. I put these in a brown rice bowl with garbonzo beans, sauteed kale and a spicy peanut sauce. It was great!
Like this instant one ;)