This is a lovely alternative to traditional chilli con carne. It’s packed with good stuff, so is a great choice for veggies and meat eaters alike. I like to serve it with soured cream, guacamole and either wholegrain rice or tortilla chips, but it’s totally up to you.Vary the type of beans you use here – it will change the flavour every time and keep things interesting. You can use butternut squash instead of the sweet potato if you prefer.
Prep
15 min
Cook
35 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
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Ingredients
sweet potato 125 g (peeled)
onion ½ (chopped)
bell pepper 1 (chopped)
fresh coriander 3 sprig
red chillies 1 (chopped)
cayenne pepper ¼ tsp
ground cinnamon ½ tsp
ground cumin ½ tsp
chopped tomatoes 400 g
red kidney beans 400 g
garlic cloves 1 (chopped)
Method
Prep the ingredients
Peel the sweet potatoes (or butternut squash), and cut into bite-sized chunks.
Peel and roughly chop the onion. Halve, deseed and roughly chop the bell pepper. Then peel and finely chop the garlic clove.
Cook the chilli
Put a large pan over a medium-high heat and add 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sweet potato, butternut squash, onion, bell pepper and garlic, and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on, stirring 3 to 4 times.
Meanwhile, pick the coriander leaves and put aside, then finely chop the stalks. Deseed and finely chop the red chilli.
After 10 minutes, stir in the coriander stalks, red chilli, cayenne pepper, *ground cinnamon, ground cumin**, and cook for a couple of minutes.
Drain the red kidney beans, then tip them into the pan with the tinned chopped tomatoes.
Stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce to a medium-low heat and leave to tick away for 20 to 25 minutes, or until thickened and reduced. Keep an eye on it, and add a splash of water if it gets a bit thick, stirring it 3 to 4 times during cooking.
Stir in most of the coriander leaves. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if you think it needs it.
Serving
Scatter the remaining leaves over the top, and serve with rice, a jacket potato... Whatever you fancy!
