Black Bean, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Chili

If you have read this blog for any given amount of time you know that I love my slowcooker. I use it year round, it's great when it's hot and humid outside to keep kitchen temps down and it's even better in the winter for hearty soups, stews and chili. Since this has been a busy couple of weeks with the school year starting and re-adjustment of schedules I have been relying on my crockpot tremendously. I love that I can set all the ingredients up in the morning when I have more time and by dinner it's completely done. It's a great way to save time and stress. When I was looking through the August/September issue of Taste of Home magazine the recipe for Black Bean, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Chili caught my eye and looked perfect for a weekday meal.

This recipe has 15 ingredients. It takes 15 minutes of prep and 6 hours of cooking and makes 16 servings. I ended up having to go to two different grocery stores in order to find both poblanos and jalapenos. That's normal for my area though and I didn't consider it inconvenient. This recipe does have a number of ingredients, but they are all easy to prep. Make sure to rinse the beans very well or they will taste metallic. Normally, I make my own beef stock, but neither of my local stores had beef bones so I took the easier route and used all natural canned stock. Make sure when you pick any type of stock from the grocery store that it is all natural. The cheaper brands often have additives and they make a big difference in the taste and quality of the stock. This is one area that I do not cut corners and save money by buying the cheaper options. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

When this recipe states that it makes 16 servings it's telling the truth. This recipe made enough for over three meals and the some. I froze half of the dish for later meals, which I would suggest if you don't have a huge family. I really loved the chorizo in this recipe. I use chorizo frequently, especially with eggs and tacos, yum! However, I had never tried chorizo with chili before and I was very impressed. This will be a great meal for fall and winter and I look forward to making it again.

For the recipe go to Black Bean, Chorizo and Sweet Potato Chili.