Sweet potato chili. I’ve made sweet potato chili before (previous post HERE). It was such a hit at work that I decided to try another recipe, hence the Round 2. Some ingredients are similar…some are different. With a name like Paleo On a Budget, of course I had to try it. Here’s the info.
Ingredients
1 medium Sweet Potato {diced into bite sized pieces}
1lb ground pork
6oz Frozen Sausage {or whatever sausage you have on hand}
1 Big can crushed tomatoes
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1/3 Big Bag Frozen Green Beans
Large Onion, Diced {I did a big dice}
3 Carrots, Peeled + Diced
Seasoning: 3 Tbsp Cumin, 5 Tbsp Chili Powder, 2 Tbsp Dried Basil & Oregano, 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning, 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder + Red Pepper Flakes
4 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt + Pepper
KerryGold Butter
Instructions
1. In a big pot get some butter all melted. Toss in your onions and carrots, let them start to cook and soften.
2. While that’s going on dice up your sweet potato {I kept the skin on} and toss that in. Same with the sausages.
3. Once those are all happy together you can add in your pork. Then all of your spices, Apple Cider Vinegar, and Salt + Pepper go in. Stir it all together {you want everything coated in the spices and herbs}.
4. Then… Then… add in your tomato products and then your frozen green beans {if they’re the whole green beans try to snap them in half as you put them in so they’re more bite sized}.
5. One more big Stir, cover… put it on low.. forget about it for a few hours.
6. Boom, it’s done…. I serve mine w/ Homemade mayo. It’s just wicked yummy that way. You could also drizzle some EVOO on it for an additional boost of fat!
Again, I chose to make a slow cooker version of this. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but I’m a fan of the slow cooker. Big fan. Here’s how I made this recipe.
1.I melted the butter in a big pot.
2. In the meantime, I chopped carrots and onion then threw that into the melty butter pot. (If you haven’t tried Kerrygold butter yet, you are missing out. By far THE BEST butter I have ever tasted)
3. While the vegetables were cooking, I chopped up the sweet potato, leaving the skin on, and set aside for a few hours.
4. Once the vegetables started to soften, I added the meat. Really, just add whatever you have on hand. I chose to add 1# of pork and 1/2# of beef. Seemed to do the trick.
5. Time for the spices
6. Next comes the vinegar. I cooked this at work and accidentally left the apple cider vinegar at home on the counter. Regular white vinegar seemed to work just fine.
7. While everything simmered and flavors infused in the pot, I prepared my slow cooker. I ALWAYS use a slow cooker bag. The fewer the dishes, the better. I also added my tomatoes to the slow cooker at this time.
8. Next, I added the meaty vegetable mixture to the slow cooker.
9. I did use the frozen green beans. Legumes are not Paleo and I typically do not eat them, but for the sake of the recipe, I chose to add them. I was intrigued.
10. I let the whole lot cook on low for about 8 hours or so. I added the sweet potatoes to the chili about 1 hour prior to eating. This way they keep their firmness a bit better and don’t just become soggy clumps.
That’s it. I typically serve my chili with a combination of any of these delicious ingredients: sweet potato chips, a little sour cream, a little cheese, avocado, tomatoes, scallions.
I really enjoyed this recipe. The vinegar adds a fun acidic element to the chili. I also loved the fact that the carrots and onions were cooked in butter beforehand. Cooking the buttery vegetable, meat, spices, and vinegar combo worked really well. I think it gave the dish a more intense flavor. Richer.
Next time, I would probably leave out the green beans. They weren’t bad. If green beans are a part of your diet, leave them in. They definitely add a bit of texture to the chili. Since I would leave out green beans, I would probably add an additional sweet potato for next time. I would probably add a few more carrots as well for a little more Vitamin A. I’m also curious if apple cider vinegar would change the flavor any. As far as the meat, the pork/beef combo worked well. I do like chili with a bit of kick, so for next time, I’m tempted to try a Graziano or Andouille sausage to give it a bit more pop.
Overall, this was pretty tasty. I think the best part has been eating the leftovers. Days 2-4 have been delicious. I also stuck a container of leftovers in the freezer. This will come in handy on one of those cold winter days to come.
I hope that you enjoy this chili as much as I do. May it warm your soul as well as your tummy.
Happy Eating!
Recipe HERE.
The Paleo Paramedic 