Sweet Potato & Bean Chilli

If it were up to me, every night would be Mexican night. I really love Mexican food. Well, pretty much anything with beans, corn, coriander, tomato and cumin, is guaranteed to be delicious right?!

Bean and vegetable chills are one of my all-time favourite meals and I make one at least once a week, if not more! You can add any veggies you have in the fridge and they're so easy to make, satisfying and filling meals. Plus the leftovers the next day taste even better!

I love pairing them with rice, quinoa or baked potatoes and this was my first time making chilli with sweet potato in the actual chilli, instead of eaten with the chilli. Let me tell you, it takes it to a whole new level! In fact, it was so good that I made a big Tupperware container full to take with me on my long flight to Switzerland and it was by far the best part of the flight!

Without further ado, here is the recipe! Feel free to adjust the spicy-ness to suit your taste!

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, roughly chopped
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup corn
• 1 cup of veggies of your choice (I used green beans, red capsicum and zucchini)
• 1 cup black beans
• 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1 tsp chilli powder
• handful of fresh coriander

Method

1. Heat up the maple syrup in a pan, then add the red onion and garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, adding a splash of water if needed
2. Add in the sweet potato and sauté for 10 minutes, adding more water as needed to stop them from sticking
3. Add the chopped tomato, tomato paste, veggies and spices to the pan, as well as 1/2 cup of water and let simmer, covered for 20 minutes until the chilli has thickened and the sweet potato is soft 
4. Now add in the corn, black beans and a handful of chopped coriander. Stir well and cook until well warmed through
5. Serve on a bed of greens, topped with more fresh herbs and black pepper

Notes:

• I added some fresh basil on top, which was also delicious!
• Keeps well in a sealed container in the fridge for a week, and also great to freeze and have on hand for quick meals
• You can substitute the black beans for any other beans of your choice
• Instead of adding water to simmer, you can add veggie stock, which also gives the chilli a great flavour!