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 absolutely love this with soy chorizo and veggie broth in place of the meat products!! Cheesy goodness!
When you used soy chorizo when did you add it? Right at the same point as the regular recipe? I’m worried the soy chorizo will get rubbery if cooked for as long as the rice cooks.
I made mine with soy chorizo as well and I add it at the same step as in the original recipe. I’ve made it twice and it’s come out great both times!
This is a really good meal for the weekday, comes together very fast! I think it’s a little underwhelming in flavor, I added hot sauce at the end, which helped substantially. I wonder, though, if I had put in a more “flavorful” salsa, I would have gotten better results (probably).
This most recent time, I made it with cubed butternut squash because that’s what we had- was an excellent substitution for the sweet potato! Overall, definitely recommend this recipe and will make it again :)
Has anyone tried with quinoa? I’m just out of rice but I have everything else!!
Yes, that is the only way I make this. I just swap out the word rice with quinoa. I use the amounts for everything as listed in the directions.
This was seriously one of the best meals I’d made in a long time! I doubled it and adapted slightly to make in the Instant Pot and it couldn’t have been easier. Leftovers with a fried egg on top were even better! THANK YOU!
Could you share your Instant Pot adaptation?
I’d love the IP adaptation too! This is a family favorite and I’d love to try it in our Instant Pot.
Oh man, not sure what I am doing wrong but I have had to at least double the liquid to cook the rice, and it is still crunchy. The flavors are delicious as usual for every recipe I make from here. I usually struggle with rice, so I am sure this is user error, but I am disappointed this isn’t working out for me.
Are you keeping a lid on your pot? Do you see moisture evaporating? The recipe instructs you to keep a lid on the pot while doing the 30 minute cooking. If you see moisture evaporating you may need to turn down the heat a little more so it’s simmering but not boiling/evaporating. I hope this helps.
You have to try this one! It is SO GOOD. I have never bought chorizo before this and plan to work this into our weekly meals now. It complements the sweet potato perfectly. We had some leftovers, so the next morning I reheated them for brunch with diced avocado and fried egg on top. Amazing. Thank you for this recipe!!
I make this one a lot, it’s one of my favorites on the website!
Yum! I enjoyed cooking this dish. Easy to prepare as the sweet potato is the only ingredient to chop. Smelled good while cooking too. I think the salsa that I used was on the spicy side, but I served the dish with a side of sour cream which was really good. Like others have mentioned I think this would make great burrito filling.
With isolation grocery delivery I ended up with a white sweet potato and spicy Italian sausage and it turned out great! I’d never had a white sweet potato before but they’re quite lovely! I used a fairly mild green salsa so it didn’t clash at all with the sausage.
Another winner!! I’ve made it several times now and have modified it all times using turkey sausage, ground turkey or ground vege ‘meat’ for my vegan since I have obe child who doesn’t eat red meat or pork and one vegan. I just add a good dose of a chorizo seasoning blend I found online – made up a jar and grab it for this recipe – and adjust by taste. This makes a great burrito filling too and to be extra yummy add sour cream, cilantro and/or avacado.
Love the recipe. I used purple sweet potato and it was amazing.
In terms of reheating, how long do you put it in the microwave for?
It depends a lot on your microwave, but I’d start with one minute and go from there!
Yum! Great base recipe. I use the soyrizo from Trader Joe’s, and to reduce carbs I do not add rice. As a result, I add less broth, probably around a cup.
I just made this last night. This would make a freakin’ bomb burrito filling, especially with some cilantro thrown in. I think I’m going to make this again, put it in some burritos and freeze them for later!
I’ve done that and it is fabulous burrito filling! Added sour cream, cilantro and avacado for the ultimate!
Has anyone attempted this with long-grain brown rice? Is it possible to adjust the broth amount and simmer time without over-cooking the rest of the ingredients?
I made this with brown rice. I started it in a separate pan with the broth and cooked it for 20 minutes on its own and then added it to the rest of the ingredients in the skillet. It was great. The timing was perfect to do it this way.
Thank you. I want to make this with brown rice. Glad to know how to do it
So fast, simple and good! A household staple–and favorite– here. (My husband and I eat about 2 servings each. My toddler eats a little too, though it’s spicy.)
This is my new most favorite quick dinner! I’ve made it several times and love it. In fact I just made it again tonight!
It’s made with ingredients I usually have on hand, and the leftovers make great work lunches. I like to add frozen corn kernels and diced bell peppers when I have them.
My husband and I have to watch our sodium intake, so I use unsalted chicken broth and reduced sodium black beans, which I rinse after draining.
Thanks for a delicious, easy recipe!
Love to hear this Laura! Thank you for sharing!
I don’t have salsa. Can I leave it out or is it necessary for moisture?
It helps with flavor and moisture yes, but you can certainly try it without!
I have made this many times, and it never fails to please! It’s full of flavor and makes great leftovers. Thank you Beth!!
Anyone have any ideas on how to convert this for a slow cooker/crockpot? I am thinking of how to bring it to a work potluck… Maybe if I brown the chorizo and cook the sweet potato a little first, then add everything to the slow cooker? I don’t know how long the rice might take to cook that way, though… Any suggestions?
Hi Corrin! Thanks for the kind words. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how the slow cooker would work, really. It’s tricky business getting that rice to cook just right and I’m not sure if it would work the same in a slow cooker.
I also love this recipe! I recently adapted it to a slow cooker and want to share my experience. Overall, my approach adds a little more liquid than the original recipe, and adds the rice at the very end of the slow cook.
First, a few major differences to note:
1. Chorizo is only sold as smoked, fully cooked links in my grocery store. I just take it out of the package, cut it into small pieces and use that.
2. For the crockpot I doubled the recipe so the quantities below reflect this.
Crockpot steps I followed:
1. Add 2 lbs cubed sweet potato, 1 lb smoked chorizo, 2 15oz cans of black beans, 32oz salsa, and 2 14.5oz cans of chicken broth to crockpot. Stir.
2. Heat on LOW for 5 hours.
3. Add 2.5 cups of uncooked jasmine rice.
4. Heat on HIGH for 30 min.