Beef, Sweet Potato & Quinoa Chili

I’ve been working some really long days lately and yesterday, the last thing I wanted to do was make dinner. The following conversation took place between my husband and I through text…
Me: I don’t want to cook!
Husband: Oh no!
Husband: What is more unhealthy? Pizza or chicken nachos?
Me: Hahaha! I think they are pretty equal
Husband: What do we do?
Me: ….

I got on my phone and started googling. First I was thinking, maybe I would feel better if I substituted sweet potato chips in the nachos? Then I thought, sweet potato chili?!?!?! I found this recipe on The Roasted Root, their version was vegetarian and contained black beans. My husband, however, is never satisfied with anything vegetarian so I substituted ground beef for the black beans and beef broth for the vegetable broth. The overall recipe was quite easy and was prepared in about 45 minutes total with only about 10 minutes of hands-on time.

Beef, Sweet Potato & Quinoa Chili
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large sweet potato, chopped into 1/2″ cubes (about 4 cups)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1 1/2 lbs cooked ground beef
4 cups low sodium beef broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped
2 Tbsp chipotle chili powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp kosher salt
For garnish of your choice:
sour cream
cheese
cilantro
green onion
avocado

1. In a large frying pan, over medium-high heat, brown ground beef until cooked, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add onion and sauté, stirring frequently until onions begin to sweat, 5 minutes.
4. Add the sweet potato and cook another 5 minutes.
5. Add the garlic, quinoa and ground beef and continue cooking another 2 minutes, stirring everything together.
6. Pour in the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring chili to a full boil, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow chili to bubble gently for 20 minutes, until quinoa and sweet potato is cooked.
7. Remove pot from heat and allow it to sit covered for 10 minutes before serving. The longer the chili sits, the thicker it will be.
8. Serve with sour cream, cheese, cilantro and your favorite chili toppings.

Original recipe from The Roasted Root