Sweet Potato and Lentil Chili (vegan)
A winning chili for both vegetarians and omnivores that is sure to be a hit at your next potluck or family meal!
I have a bad case of the Mondays. It’s bad enough coming back from a weekend but losing an hour of sleep? Ugh. Let’s just say it’ll be a glorious day when we get that hour back in November.
Anyway, I have a very special recipe for you today.
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Drumroll please…
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It’s my first official vegan recipe for Damn Delicious!
See, I try to eat healthy most of the time (except for when Jason’s in town – then cheeseburgers, fries, and artery-clogging goodness is all fair game) and I’m even somewhat of a vegetarian when Jason is away at school. But trying out vegan recipes is always a bit of a struggle because abstaining from dairy and egg products is almost impossible!
But this chili here? Yeah, it makes veganism seem completely doable (note: the Greek yogurt and cheese is merely for garnish/photographic purposes). I tried out this recipe for Naturebox and to be honest, I was a bit skeptical about it in the beginning. I’m not the biggest lentils fan – I’ve actually only had it once before at a restaurant and I wasn’t completely in love with it – and I’ve never had meatless chili either but I decided to stick with the recipe as is and boy am I glad I did.
Within the first bite of this chili, I was in heaven. The sweet potatoes and lentils are incredibly filling, and you have every guarantee that you won’t be missing the meat. Plus, with a side of cornbread, you’ll be sure to be asking for seconds!
Sweet Potato and Lentil Chili (vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 3 sweet potatoes, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilis
- 2 cups steamed lentils
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Add onion and bell peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, lentils, chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I made it in a slow cooker on low for about 3 1/2 hours and it came out great. I adjusted for the preferences of my family so, added tomato sauce. We like to eat chili on crunched chips, with cheese and sour cream on top and it was great! I’m the only vegetarian, but they are always willing to try my veg dishes and it was a hit.
I made this in my Instant Pot by adding 8 cups of broth and then cooked in for 18 minutes on high pressure and did a quick release. I just dumped everything in and walked away. So good! I actually prefer this chili to one made with beans. I also omitted the cayenne pepper so that my kids would eat it.
Would that be about 4cups chopped potatoes?
I absolutely LOVE this chilli. My daughter – who does not much like sweet potatoes – also loves it. Quick and easy to make, I start cooking the green lentils (I use dried) while cutting up the onions/peppers/sweet potato so it isn’t a chore at all. I can’t recommend it enough! One of the few recipes that I do not alter . . . well I do add a tsp of coriander and turmeric. Delicious it is x
Planning to make this to dinner tonight, but what are the crackers you have sprinkled on top?
Easy, healthy, tasty, and cheap — what more could you want?
I actually used dry lentils (a combo of brown and red, since I had them on hand and needed to use them up), and it turned out great. I did end up adding a third cup of veggie broth.
Thanks for the recipe!
Wow, made this last night and it was amazing. Flavorful, filling, and spicy. Thank you for sharing!
great recipe!!
i would like to try it at home..
This is SO MANY ingredients, but it looks so good that I think I’ll have to just go out and get all of them and make it sometime this week.
I just made this for the first time. I cut out the bell peppers, as I’m not a fan, and added some mushrooms, which I had an abundance of. I haven’t tasted it yet but it smells great.
Thanks for this recipe! I have vegan friends coming over tonight for dinner, and I’m very excited about this recipe! I had a taste while it was simmering, and the sweet potatoes are delish. I subbed black beans for lentils (had them on-hand), and used smoked paprika in place of the regular. Yumm-o!
This chili is SO GOOD! I was in a pinch and really wanted to try this, so I subbed 1 cup Trader Joe’s split red lentils and an extra cup of liquid. I topped mine with Avocado, vegan sour cream and cilantro for the full experience! We will surely be making this again and again! Thanks!
I blended ¾ of the finished product in the Vitamix then re-incorporated it back into the pot.
The kids didn’t even know the bulk of the meal was sweet potato!
It was damn-delicious!
Help! How do you steam lentils?
Christa, I prefer to buy the steamed lentils from Trader Joe’s but there are also many resources and tutorials available online on steaming lentils.
Can you steam them in a vegetable steamer? There is no Trader Joe’s close to me.
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried this myself. Please use your best judgment.
I cooked the recipe exactly as printed and it was delicious! I sent it to my ex and the only thing he changed was using chicken broth instead of vegetable broth and he liked it, too – which is amazing because he doesn’t like anything without MEAT! 😉 Thanks so much – this is a wonderful recipe!
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Hello from Australia! I have some cooking now, I have used one cup of dried lentils, and mix of butternut and jap pumpkin instead of sweet potatoe. I didn’t have any paprika…so I have swapped all spices for 2 tbls of Cajun spice mix 🙂 Smells GORGEOUS! WIll be serving with natural yoghurt and fresh coriander xx
This may be the stupidest question ever, but does steamed = boiled?
I’m wondering if adding the lentils already cooked and cooking them again for an extra 30 minutes won’t turn them into mush?
Thanks!
Steamed and boiled lentils are not the same, but the end result is that they are both completely cooked through. That being said, adding cooked lentils to the chili will not lead to “mush” or any kind of sogginess.
soundsgood; so I should be able to boil the lentils and follow the recipe as is?
Thanks!
Yes, exactly!
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Our family really loved this recipe! I have three little ones that hate sweet potatoes. They ate all of thier chili and asked for seconds!! (We didn’t add cayenne pepper because it was to hot for my kids.) Thank you so much for this recipe!