Whether I like it or not, the weather is getting cooler and we’re well on our way to fall and … winter. I don’t mind the weather getting cooler – especially since it means it’s finally officially soup and chili weather!

We got a lot of sweet potatoes in our last summer Fresh Fork CSA, and though I’m a fan of roasting them, making fries, and more – I really wanted to make a chili with them. So I did. Typically I make my chicken or turkey chili in the crock pot to save time, and energy, but for being a chili recipe, this is pretty easy and painless to prepare AND make. You could probably use ground beef – but I always prefer turkey or chicken personally so I haven’t tried it.

Sweet Potato Chicken Chili

Here’s what you need:

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 16 oz lean ground turkey or chicken
• 1 medium yellow or Spanish onion, chopped
• 1 medium sweet pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbs garlic powder
• 1-2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 10 oz can tomatoes with green chilies
• 16 oz can diced tomatoes
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cans our favorite beans – I used kidney and Great Northern beans
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into cubes about 1/2-1 inch thick

Here’s what you do:

1. In a Dutch oven, brown the ground chicken over 1 Tbs olive oil. Cook, on medium-high, and break apart chicken as it cooks. Season with some of the garlic powder and cumin as it cooks.
2. After chicken is cooked through, add onion and pepper and some more of the cumin and garlic powder. Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes until onion starts to become translucent.
3. Add the can of tomatoes with chilies, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans and sweet potato.
4. Add rest of spices – rest of cumin, garlic powder and then chili powder. Stir to combine mixture.
5. Cover Dutch oven most of the way and simmer over medium to medium-low heat for about 25-40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft and full cooked. Stir often.
6. Serve in a bowl. Mine made about 9 cups and I had about 1 1/2 cup for my dinner serving.
7. Enjoy alone, over rice or with corn bread. I chose the corn bread — because why not?

And that, my friends, is the perfect fall meal!