So, it finally got cold here. Like, I actually had to wear a sweater when I left the house the other day! :o That made me crave chili. Warm, hearty chili… But of course, I needed to try something new.
Ever since I discovered how awesome spicy Mexican chorizo and sweet potatoes are together (remember these enchiladas?), I’ve been looking for new ways to pair the two up. This chili is a super easy and fairly quick way to do just that. Because chorizo is so heavily spiced, you barely need to add anything else to the chili to achieve maximum flavor. It’s almost too easy. But that’s good, cuz I got places to go, panda costumes to wear, and birthdays to celebrate (yesterday was my birthday y’all!)
Anyway, the combination of spicy chorizo and creamy sweet potatoes didn’t disappoint once again. This chili is the BOMB. My new favorite chili, for sure.
Chorizo Sweet Potato Chili
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Looking for a classic chili recipe? Check out my Simple Homemade Chili.
Chorizo Sweet Potato Chili
Servings 6 8 cups totalIngredients
- 3 links Mexican chorizo (about ¾ lb.) ($2.51)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.42)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 lb. sweet potato ($1.00)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.69)
- 1 15oz. can kidney beans ($1.09)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($1.12)
- 1 6oz. can tomato paste ($0.55)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder** ($0.30)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 2 cups water ($0.00)
- 1 bunch green onions ($0.69)
Instructions
- Squeeze the chorizo out of its casing and into a large pot. Cook the chorizo over medium heat, breaking it up as it browns. After it is fully browned, drain the excess fat from the pot (if desired).
- While the chorizo is browning, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add them to the pot after draining the fat. Continue to stir and cook. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes. Add them to the pot and continue to stir and cook.
- Rinse and drain the beans in a colander. Add them to the pot along with the diced tomatoes (with juices), tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and water. Stir until everything is well combined. Place a lid on the pot and allow the chili to come up to a simmer. Let the chili simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sweet potatoes have softened. Serve hot, topped with sliced green onions.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step by Step Photos
This is the Mexican chorizo that I used. Mexican chorizo is different than Spanish chorizo. Mexican chorizo is a fresh meat product and the links are soft, whereas Spanish chorizo is a hard, cured meat like salami. I used three links, or about 3/4 lb. The other two links will be frozen for later use.
Squeeze the chorizo out of the casings and into a large pot. Cook over medium heat, breaking it up into pieces as you go. Cook until it is fully browned. Chorizo is fairly fatty, so you can drain the fat off after it is fully browned, if you’d like.
While the chorizo is browning, dice the onion and mince the garlic. After draining the fat from the chorizo, add the onion and garlic and continue to cook over medium heat.
While the onions and garlic continue to cook, start dicing the sweet potato. First peel it, then cut it into medallions.
Stack a few of the medallions at a time and cut them into strips. Then, cut across the strips into small cubes. You want the sweet potato to be in fairly small pieces (1/2 inch cubes) so that they’ll cook quickly and so there won’t be huge chunks in the chili.
Add the diced sweet potatoes to the pot and continue cooking.
Add the diced tomatoes (with juices) to the pot. Rinse and drain the beans in a colander, then add them to the pot. Also add the entire can of tomato paste. I accidentally got seasoned black beans, but if you use regular black beans it won’t affect the flavor much.
Also add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and two cups of water.
Please note: Chili powder in the United States is not the same as cayenne or red pepper, which are both very hot. If you use 1 Tbsp of cayenne pepper you’ll burn a hole through your mouth. This chili powder is a blend of mild chiles and other spices. If you don’t have this, you can sub all of the spices for one packet/envelope of chili seasoning.
Stir it all together until the tomato paste has fully incorporated. Put a lid on the pot and let it come up to a simmer. Let the pot simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes the sweet potatoes should be soft. Now it’s ready to serve!
Slice the green onions and sprinkle over each serving. You can also add a little cheddar cheese or sour cream…
I dipped some tortilla strips in it. YUM.
This is our new favorite chili. Our only change was having a full pound of chorizo. This one earns a permanent spot in our winter chili rotation. Thanks!
If I wanted to omit the beans from this recipe, would you recommend making any other adjustments to compensate?
You might want to increase the chorizo and sweet potatoes to make up for the decrease in solid matter in the chili, otherwise it might be very saucy, almost more soup-like.
This is one of my favorite recipes! It’s delicious but also can be vegan-ized super easily by subbing soy chorizo and making sure your beans are vegan (and is still so delicious you’d never know it’s vegan) Very useful for chili potlucks!
This looks amazing! Will try this tonight, but I don’t think they sell Mexican chorizo in Germany. I have some minced meat that needs to go, so I’ll try an EU adaption to this recipe.
Made today using Spanish chorizo. I am in London. Added some smoked paprika. Delicious. Served with tortilla chips and cheese.
This was SO GOOD! Easily a new favorite. I made this with your Everyday Cornbread recipe in muffin form and the combination was delicious (:
I LOVE this recipe andvhave made it a few times now. Can this recipe be modified to be made in a slow cooker?
Probably! After you brown the meat, you could probably just add everything to a slow cooker and do 8 hours on low or 4 on high. I haven’t tried it, but that’s what I would do if I were to test it out.
I made it in the slow cooker this weekend! Threw everything in the pot after I browned the meat and cooked down the garlic and onion. Put it in the fridge overnight and then in the morning popped it on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Really, it’s done once the sweet potato is soft. :)
I have made this recipe multiple times and it has become a staple for sure. I have made it with ground turkey and chorizo, and it still tastes great! It also is very easy to cook in the crock pot. Your site is always the first place I go when I want to try my hand at something new to cook, thanks Beth!
I had some chorizo that I was planning to use in another dish, but that fell through. I came upon this recipe and made it the other night. The house smelled AMAZING first, and second, this tasted great! I had a friend over who actually doesn’t like sweet potato, and loved this chili, he had a second bowl. I also made your crockpot beef stew the other night, and that was fantastic with some nice crusty, hot italian bread. Thanks for the great recipes!
this was so easy to make and delicious!!! My family loves it and I even brought some to my neighbor for her to try and now she makes it all the time too! Thank you so much we love your recipes.
We had to be careful about choosing the right chorizo; we’ve made it a couple times with ones that weren’t flavorful enough, and it really brings down the overall quality of the chili.
But with the right chorizo, this is by far my most favorite chili ever, and there’s an award-winning chili maker in my family! One time, we substituted chorizo-style tofu sausage (tofrizo?), and turned out great too, but with far fewer calories.
I’ve made this chili for everyone I know. It’s a huge hit all around.
I loved this recipe, although I too made a few changes. First, we used soyrizo, and because of that we added it after the sweet potatoes. It let the potatoes cook a little more evenly in the end without getting all smooshed up in the chorizo mix. We also used veggie broth in place of water, to give it a bit more flavor.
Not a change but we toasted some slices of baguette with slices of gruyere on top and used those to dip into the chili. It was amazing! I always recommend a side of some type of cheesy, crusty bread.
I can’t afford chorizo as I’m a student so I use whatever is on special (often beef mince) and it is always delicious. Definitely my go to healthy, comfort food :)
I forgot to add the diced tomatoes, but this was still very good, especially with some avocado and sour cream. Perfect for a rainy Sunday afternoon in front of the TV.
It’s really cold here in Greenville, SC today. This chili was a perfect way to warm up my insides! I forgot to add the tomato paste and it still tasted wonderful.