This sweet potato turkey chili is smoky, hearty, and full of bold flavor, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner or easy crowd-pleaser recipe. It all comes together in one pot and is ready in just 35 minutes.
This is an everything-into-1-pot see-you-in-35-minutes chili. It's my top choice for a satisfying dinner recipe just like baked pineapple teriyaki chicken, lemon garlic salmon, and baked penne pasta with meatballs. After the minimal prep, let the stovetop or oven take over.
I made it a few weeks ago and lived off of it for lunches everyday and even had it breakfast one morning (team savory for breakfast here!) I'm confident you'll enjoy this one pot meal. It even joins my list of 15+ easy weeknight dinner recipes, too!
Here's Why You'll Love This Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
- It's a BIG bowl of comfort food without feeling heavy
- Each spoonful is packed with tons of texture and flavor
- Like most chili recipes, there's minimal clean up and simple to make
- Keeps wonderfully in the refrigerator for leftovers
- Can easily be made with various substitutions
Ingredients You Need
- Sweet Potatoes: You need about 3-4 cups, which is about 2 large sweet potatoes. It's important to dice the sweet potato in similar sizes for them to cook evenly in the chili.
- Ground Turkey: To add additional heartiness, there's 1 pound of ground turkey. Instead of turkey, you can use beef or chicken-you pick! Or to make it meatless, double the sweet potato and add more beans.
- Bell Pepper & Onion: Like most homemade chili recipes, we're starting with aromatic staples. You can use any type of bell pepper that you prefer.
- Kidney Beans: These beans are more mild. Feel free to swap for black beans instead; both are delicious!
- Corn: Adding sweet corn provides a wonderful contrast in now only flavor but also texture. You can use canned (drained) or frozen corn.
- Tomatoes: There's a combination of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste which add flavor and help create a sauce for the chili.
- Chicken Broth: Adding the chicken broth is key for the sweet potatoes to cook through. (Don't worry, it won't be soup, as the potatoes will soak it up).
- Olive Oil: Just 1 Tablespoon for browning.
- Seasoning: Chili would be bland without the classic spices. You'll need class pantry staples like salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and paprika.
Toppings & Sides
Toppings like shredded cheese, sliced or avocado pieces, sour cream, or even cottage cheese complement the richness of this turkey chili. I also love garnishing with a lot of fresh chopped cilantro or scallions, too.
While this sweet potato turkey chili is a complete meal, an absolute favorite is making homemade cornbread and crumbling it on top. For an added crunch, add tortilla strips or chips. Even pairing it with a side salad with homemade croutons.
Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
Description
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Chili
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound 92-97% lean ground turkey
- ½ cup sweet onion, diced
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups sweet potatoes, chopped
- 1 (14-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 package frozen corn
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together all the seasonings to make the spice mix. Set aside. (This step is optional, but I find it easier to have the seasoning pre-mixed).
- Heat the oil in a 5-quart or larger pot, like a dutch oven, over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground turkey. Cook for 5 minutes, break apart as it cooks, then add the spice mix blend. Then, add the onion and bell pepper. Continue to cook for another 4-5 minutes, or until the ground turkey is completely cooked through.
- Increase the heat to high. Stir in the tomato paste. Then, add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the kidney beans and corn. Let simmer for 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender-this will depend on how large/small the sweet potato pieces are.
- Serve chili warm. Add optional toppings such as chopped cilantro, scallions, shredded cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese and/or avocado slices. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Let chili cool completely before freezing. Freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat on the stove on medium heat. You can also add the frozen chili to a slow cooker and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Make It Spicy: For a spicier chili, add chopped jalapeño or cayenne pepper (about ½ teaspoon).
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