I’m loving these one skillet meals not only because they’re so easy to make, but because they’re so easy to eat. Instead of filling my plate with a main dish and a couple of sides, This Chorizo Sweet Potato Skillet has everything I need in one bowl. Carbs, fiber, protein, vegetables, and CHEESE. Ha, just kidding about needing the cheese (not kidding).
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Anyway. Since making my Chorizo & Sweet Potato Enchiladas over three years ago, I’ve been in love with the sweet and spicy combo of chorizo and sweet potatoes. Spicy Mexican Chorizo and the subtle sweetness of sweet potatoes go so incredibly well together and I just can’t get enough of it. So, for this skillet meal I paired up the famous flavor duo and cooked them together with rice, black beans, and salsa (the same method used for the Southwest Chicken Skillet). I don’t know if there’s an easier way to pack in so much flavor with so little effort.
And, BONUS, this one freezes super duper well, so it’s a great candidate for stocking your freezer with ready to reheat meals!
Chorizo Sweet Potato Skillet
Servings 6Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 1 sweet potato (1 lb.) ($1.50)
- 1/2 lb. Mexican chorizo ($2.75)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.59)
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice ($0.33)
- 1 cup salsa (red or green) ($0.46)
- 1.75 cup chicken broth ($0.23)
- 1 cup shredded cheese ($0.90)
- 2-3 green onions, sliced ($0.20)
Instructions
- Peel and dice the sweet potato into 1/2 to 3/4 inch cubes (size matters, make them small). Sauté the sweet potato cubes in a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes have softened about half way through (they’ll cook more later).
- Add the chorizo to the skillet (squeeze it out of its casing if it came in links) with the sweet potatoes. Sauté the chorizo and sweet potatoes together, breaking the chorizo up into small pieces as it browns.
- Once the chorizo is fully browned, pour off any excess grease if needed. Rinse and drain the black beans. Add the beans, salsa, and uncooked rice to the skillet. Stir them into the sweet potatoes and chorizo until everything is well combined.
- Add the chicken broth, stir briefly, then place a lid on the skillet. Allow the contents of the skillet to come up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Let the skillet simmer on low for 30 minutes. Make sure it is simmering the whole time (you should be able to hear it quietly simmer away). If it is not, turn the heat up slightly.
- After 30 minutes the rice should be tender and have absorbed all of the liquid. Turn off the heat, fluff the mixture, sprinkle the cheese on top, then return the lid to trap the residual heat and help the cheese melt. Slice the green onions while the cheese is melting, then sprinkle them on top and serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Chorizo Sweet Potato Skillet – Step by Step Photos
First, peel and cut the sweet potato into 1/2-3/4 inch cubes. The easiest way to do this is to first peel the sweet potato, cut the sweet potato into rounds, then cut the rounds into cubes. If a few of your rounds are about the same size, you can stack them before cutting them crosswise into cubes. Making the cubes too big will prevent them from cooking through completely, so make sure not to go any larger than about 3/4 inch.
Sauté the sweet potato cubes in a large skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat for about five minutes. You want them to cook about half way through at this point. You’ll notice that they turn a little bit darker and slightly translucent as they begin to soften.
This is the type of chorizo I use. I only used 1/2 lb. for the entire recipe! Johnsonville is a large national brand and is available in most major super markets. It’s basically just pork sausage seasoned with Mexican spices. If buying another brand, make sure to check the ingredients and package well because not all chorizo is created equal (I bought some in a “tube” once and it was VERY fatty and not very pleasant). If your chorizo comes in links, simply squeeze the ground meat out of the casing.
Add the chorizo to the skillet and continue to sauté until the chorizo is fully browned. If your chorizo has let off a lot of grease, you may want to drain it from the skillet at this point (mine did not).
Next add one cup of your favorite salsa, one 15-oz. can of black beans (rinsed and drained), and one cup uncooked long grain white rice. You can use either green or red salsa, they both work great! Now stir these all together with the chorizo and sweet potatoes until everything is evenly mixed.
Lastly, add 1.75 cups of chicken broth to the skillet. Give it a quick stir.
Place the lid on the skillet and allow it to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer, with the lid on, for 30 minutes. Make sure you can hear it simmering the whole time. Every range will have its “sweet spot” heat setting where the skillet will be simmering, but not so hot that the bottom scorches. Mine is just slightly above the low setting. Using a thick, heavy skillet will help it to cook thoroughly and evenly, too. (This is what it looks like AFTER simmering.) After 30 minutes, the rice should be tender and all of the liquid absorbed. If it isn’t, cover it back up and let it go for another 5-10 minutes. Like I said, every skillet/range is different. If the heat was set too low, it will take just a bit longer. If it was too high, it may be sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
Once the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, turn off the heat and fluff it up with a fork to mix the ingredients back together.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, then cover it back up with the lid. This will trap the residual heat and melt the cheese.
Slice the green onions while the cheese is melting, then sprinkle them on top.
Boxed skillet meals ain’t got nuthin’ on this Chorizo Sweet Potato Skillet!
Oh man, I already want to make a second batch!
I love one-pot recipes! (Because I hate multitasking in the kitchen…I can do it, but I’m always afraid of losing track of something!) This looked delicious but unfortunately, I couldn’t find Mexican chorizo in the nearby grocery stores, so I settled for hot Italian sausage (which was on sale, anyway). It still worked out pretty well and I loved eating this! I’ll bet this will taste even better as leftovers. Thanks!
Made this yesterday and LOVED it! I used soy chorizo (from Trader Joe’s – only 1.99 for 12oz) and vegetable stock to make it meatless. I think I should have used a little more broth.Then I threw in an onion and a green pepper. The pepper added a great background flavor. It was vegan until I added the cheese :)
This made way more than I thought, which was a nice suprise. I want some right now!
I made this the other night substituting brown rice, increasing the broth to 2 cups and cutting the salsa back to 3/4 cup. Rave reviews and enough leftovers for lunch the next day. Thanks again, Beth!
Wow. This was amazing. I wrapped it in a tortilla and made killer burritos. I love you, no seriously. Thank you
I am a terrible cook (and not a huge fan of sweet potatoes) but it looked so good in the pictures that I had to try it. This dish is easy and delicious. Can’t wait to eat the leftovers!!
This looks delicious, healthy, and easy! I love one pot meals for their simplicity. I only have chicken apple sausage, but I’m going to try this with that. I will add some red pepper to give it some kick, but I love idea of using sweet potatoes. Thanks so much for the recipe! Pinning it now.
This was awesome topped with Frank’s and sour cream. Sausage sweet potato and black beans are so awesome together. Thanks again for making our night, you’ve been doing so for 5 years now!
Quick question about cooking methods: I don’t own a deep skillet, but I do have a large wok and a stock pot. Which of these do you think would be best for this recipe (and any others where you have rice cooking in a deep skillet)?
I think I’d use the stock pot because it has a lid (unless your wok does, too?) But you can definitely do it in a stock pot because it is a lot like just cooking rice in a pot anyway. :)
I love chorizo and sweet potato together!
I made this tonight and it was another winner! I love how tender and creamy everything came out, almost like a risotto. I upped the chorizo to 1 lb and broth to 2c (I freeze homemade in 2c increments). Threw fresh tomato and avocado on top. Fabulous! I think next time I’d add some red pepper flakes or cayenne for more heat. Yum, thanks!
I absolutely LOVE your sweet potato and chorizo chile, so this will be a stable for me also.
Thanks!
sounds good but my son in law won’t eat sweet potatoes – although I love them. could one substitute squash?
Yes, a sweet winter type squash might be okay, with butternut being the best choice (it has the sweetest, least earthy flavor of the bunch).
Yes! Chorizo and sweet potato together again? LOVE this combination.
It’s a small thing, but I have a slight variation when it comes to the preparing the sweet potato. I make the enchilada version quite often, and I find that grating the sweet potato on the largest holes available changes the overall consistency of the dish. I also cook the sweet potato near the end, as it takes very little time to soften when you grate it.
Not sure how it would work in this dish, but it makes the enchiladas very soft and more … enchilada-y. -:P It binds the contents together more — almost like cheese would. Anyway, just thought I’d share!
(Also, just to add: I’m not cracking on the cubes. I switched methods just because the peanut gallery I cook for wanted a different texture inside the tortillas — picky enchilada connoisseurs that they are.)
That’s an AWESOME idea! I love it. :) Thanks for sharing!
Love this idea and the variations from comments. Love sweet potatoes and will do this one soon.
What does “cracking on the cubes” mean? Would love to use it but want to know what I’m saying, you know what I mean?
Oh, hah! Like, when you’re “cracking on” something, you’re criticizing it? I don’t know; I grew up saying it a lot, I guess. I’m not even sure that’s proper slang. -:P And I was referring to the method of cutting the sweet potato: cutting it into cubes. -:)
Knowing my luck, “cracking on the cubes” is slang for doing hard drugs in some area of the world.
This looks amazing! Thank you for such delicious healthy recipes!
I just made your sweet potato and chorizo enchiladas tonight and they were so yummy! I can’t wait to try this dish! The combination of sweet potato and chorizo is not something I would ever think of putting together but is so good!!