Vegetable Chili with Sweet Potatoes & Chipotle ♥

Vegetable Chili with Sweet Potatoes & Chipotle ♥ AVeggieVenture.com, a confetti of colorful vegetables and beans warmed with chili spices.
If you've ever wondered how to turn a meaty chili into something more veggie friendly, start here with a confetti of colorful vegetables and beans warmed with chili spices. It's as pretty as a rainbow and packed with big flavors.

Real Food, Fast & Casual. Budget Friendly. Supper Substantial. One-Pot Meal. Great for Meal Prep. How to Feed a Crowd. Low Cal. Naturally Gluten Free. Weight Watchers Friendly. Not just vegan, Vegan Done Real.


What Is It About Chili, Anyway?

My recipe calendar reports that this kitchen has produced eight pots of chili since the weather turned cooler. We've made eggs and oatmeal and salad dressing more often but other than that, if it's a food race, chili wins, hands down.

With a freezer full of meat and more on the way, no surprise, our chilis tend toward meaty affairs. But ever since tasting the Three-Bean Chipotle Chili from The Wolf, a fun little scratch-cooking spot not far from us here in St. Louis, my taste buds have longed for another all-vegetable chili, a small bowl for lunch, a spoonful or two on the side of a poached egg in the morning, a small measure spread on a Mexican Pizza (Oaxaca Tlayuda). I've toned the heat back, waaaaay back in fact, but this is a chili that's easy to dial up or down, aiming for that sweet spot – spicy spot?! – that suits your mood or your taste.

Chili with Mac 'n' Cheese? Yum!

Who else loves to pair spicy chili with something warm but definitely not spicy?
  • Chili with mashed potatoes? Years back, Iowa farm wives used this combination to extend chili fed to hungry farm workers for noon dinner.
  • Chili with cubes of cornbread? My personal favorite! Until now!
  • Chili with mac 'n' cheese? Back in November, we headed to Texas with my dad to visit my sister and her family, then drove down to the Hill Country to celebrate the Marine Corps Birthday in Kerrville where our friends Pat and Keri Wilt who own a wine bar and restaurant called Grape Juice. I was in total heaven with a big bowl of "crack"eroni 'n' cheese with cabrito chili. Since, I've served chili with mac 'n' cheese for family here and oh! it goes down easy!
COMPLIMENTS!
"Oh yeah, this is a winner for me ..." ~ Patricia

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...

Vegetable Chili with Sweet Potatoes & Chipotle ♥ AVeggieVenture.com, a confetti of colorful vegetables and beans warmed with chili spices.





VEGETABLE CHILI with SWEET POTATOES & CHIPOTLE

Hands-on time: 40 minutes over an hour total
Time to table: Best made a day ahead
Makes about 10 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, trimmed and diced
2 large carrots, trimmed, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, trimmed and diced
1 poblano chili, trimmed and diced
1 red bell pepper, trimmed and diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 cup (about 4 ounces/100g) frozen corn kernels

2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 16-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 16-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon mashed chipotles and adobo sauce (see TIPS)
3 cups water plus more as needed

In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil on medium high until shimmery. Add the vegetables as they're prepped, stirring with each addition. Stir in the spices, then the tomatoes and beans. Stir together the mashed chipotles and adobo sauce with a tablespoon or two of water; stir this and the remaining water into the pot, there should be enough to not quite cover the vegetables. Bring the chili to a boil, then finish one of three ways:

STOVETOP Cover and reduce the heat to maintain a slow simmer, let simmer for about 30 minutes.
OVEN Transfer chili to a 200F oven for about 4 hours. It's fine to leave the chili like this all day if you choose, I often do.
SLOW COOKER Transfer chili to a slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6 hours. (I haven't made this in the slow cooker but the times are likely close, even though slow cookers do vary so much.)

TO FINISH After cooking, if the chili is a little bit water-y vs chili-y, remove the lid and let simmer on the stovetop until enough water evaporates. Let cool, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
To use so little oil with so many vegetables is a balance of heat and fat. I start off with just a tablespoon of oil, just enough to really turn the onions, carrots and celery quite golden. If the pan gets dry, I splash in a little water to avoiding burning the vegetables.
For years, I've purchased small cans of chipotle with adobo sauce. You only use a little bit at a time and typically only the mild and smoky adobo sauce that the ever-so-hot chipotle chilis sit in. Recently I learned the trick to mash the whole can in a small food processor for storage in a small glass jar – the stuff keeps for months in the refrigerator – and there's less waste. Now an entire can costs only a couple of bucks so it's not a huge money-saver. But it still makes me feel better!
Want to turn this into a Master Recipe for Vegetable Chili? Start with an onion, then add about 2 pounds of different vegetables, aiming for 4 to 6 different vegetables of different textures and colors, all diced to about the same size.



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Looking for healthy new ways to cook vegetables? A Veggie Venture is home to hundreds of super-organized quick, easy and healthful vegetable recipes and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables. Join "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg to explore the exciting world of common and not-so-common vegetables, seasonal to staples, savory to sweet, salads to sides, soups to supper, simple to special.

© Copyright Kitchen Parade
2014 & 2021 (repub)

Alanna Kellogg
Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

Comments

  1. I LOVE The Wolf's chili! Looking forward to trying your recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love sweet potatoes in chili! They combine so well with spicy stuff. I've serve chili over mashed potatoes before, but haven't tried it with mac 'n cheese. Gotta do that! Really nice recipe - thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. VEGETABLE CHILI with SWEET POTATOES & CHIPOTLE

    Oh yeah, this is a winner for me ...thanks...I dont know if I can submit it as my 2015 favorite ... but will start here...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Patricia ~ Nominations always welcome! So glad you liked it, me too!!

    ReplyDelete

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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe, whether a current recipe or a long-ago favorite. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. ~ Alanna