Smokey Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
Try this Smokey Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Smokey Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 onions (finely diced)
- 6 cloves (minced)
- 2 red bell peppers (chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (or 1 chipotle chili chopped, seeds removed)
- 1 1/2 cups broth (or water)
- 2 sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 2-inch dice)
- 2 cups black beans (soaked overnight or quick soaked and
- 3 cups tomatoes (finely chopped fresh or canned, (1-28 o
- cilantro (chopped for garnish)
- Carbohydrate 3.19378527904762 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 2.77558555597027 g
- Fiber 1.03775277680137 g
- Protein 0.774287500294024 g
- Saturated Fat 0.236361222293014 g
- Serving Size 1 1 -8 serving (20g)
- Sodium 25.0305555821542 mg
- Sugar 2.15603250224625 g
- Trans Fat 0.106815055624239 g
- Calories 37 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot on Sauté. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic, red peppers and spices and cook another 2 minutes. Turn off sauté.
- Add the water and stir to be sure that none of the spices are stuck on the bottom of the pot.
- Add the sweet potatoes and black beans. Lock the lid in place and set your Instant Pot to cook on Manual at high pressure for 8 minutes.
- When 8 minutes is up let the pressure come down naturally, which takes about 10 minutes or longer.
- When the pressure is down, remove the lid tilting it away from you.
- Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and salt. Cook on low sauté about 5 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down into a sauce.
- Remove the whole chipotle pepper if you used it. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve over rice, or other grain, garnished with cilantro. Enjoy!
Replacing the chipotle chili powder with smoked paprika alters the capsaicin profile, trading a sharp, lingering burn for a rounded, aromatic woodsmoke note that pairs differently with the natural sugars in the root vegetables. Understanding how these flavor compounds interact ensures a more balanced bowl.
Spice Bloom and Pressure Dynamics
Cooking ground spices like cumin and chili powder in oil for two minutes drives fat-soluble flavor compounds out of their cellular matrices, allowing them to coat the aromatic onion and garlic fragments. Deglazing the pressure cooker thoroughly prevents residual sugars from scorching against the stainless steel base during the eight-minute high-pressure cycle. Sweet potatoes contain starches that gelatinize rapidly under pressure, thickening the surrounding liquid while absorbing the earthy salinity of the black beans.Acid Balance and Thermal Timing
Tomatoes and tomato paste are added after pressure cooking is complete to preserve their bright organic acids and pectin structure, which would otherwise break down excessively under prolonged heat. Simmering this final mixture on low for five minutes reduces excess moisture and concentrates the savory glutamates. Pairing the finished chili with steamed long-grain rice provides a complete amino acid profile while neutralizing residual heat through starch adsorption.
