Side dish

Baked Sweet Potato with Cheesy Veggie Chili

Oven baked sweet potatoes topped with vegan cheese and vegetarian sausage from Lightlfe These veggie chili baked potatoes are good for lunch, dinner or both

To recipe
delicious cheesy veggie chili
Recipe insights & TIPS

It's fall and that means we can all eat giant bowls of chili! These sweet potatoes are topped with plant-based veggie chili and cheese for the perfect dinner.

delicious cheesy veggie chili

There's always certain comfort foods that always stand out from others, like pot roasts, chowder, and chili and thankfully chili is one dish that my whole family loves! It's also one of the simplest things you can make at home, with just a few ingredients, most of which I bet are in your pantry right now and a few others you can find easily at the store. Chili has its base ingredients and for me, that means crushed tomatoes, beans, spices, and a protein. For this plant-based veggie chili recipe, I'm using Lightlife’s Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage. It's packed with plant-based protein, even more than what you'd find in an equal amount of animal-based sausage and it tastes so good. You can adjust your spices if you prefer something hotter or milder.

ingredients for my veggie chili

Plant-protein is good for our bodies in many ways from lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. And if you're worried that by replacing regular animal-based protein with plant-protein, don't because plant-protein delivers a complete source of protein for you. To complete my chili, I added pinto beans, crushed tomatoes, diced eggplant, spices, and parsley. You could just go at the chili in the pot once it's done, but why not kick things up and add some cheese because chili cheese anything is always a winner.

a scoop of veggie chili

I baked some sweet potatoes and then added a slice of Creamy Original Chao Cheese from Field Roast, before scooping the chili on top and letting that cheese get relaxed and melty. Top with extra green onions and parsley for a meal that will warm you up on any of these crazy cold days that we'll get soon. As with any Lightlife product I cook with, the kids have no idea that it wasn't animal-based meat that they ate, sometimes I tell them just to see that "wait what" expression and sometimes I keep it to myself. The fact that they are finishing all of it (and sometimes seconds) is a good enough sign for me.

veggie chili
A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Recipe

It's fall and that means we can all eat giant bowls of chili! These sweet potatoes are topped with plant-based chili and cheese for the perfect dinner.

Course:
Side dish
COOKing TIME:
90 minutes
Total TIME:
120 minutes
CUISINE:
American
PREP TIME:
30 minutes
SERVINGS:
4

Ingredients

  • 4 medium size sweet potatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 3 cups diced eggplant
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 14oz pack Lightlife Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage
  • 1 15oz can pinto beans
  • 1 15oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup frozen green peas
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 4 slices of Chao Original Cheese
  • 1 cup chopped green onions

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Rub the sweet potatoes with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Wrap each potato loosely in foil and bake in the oven for 90 minutes.
  4. While the potatoes are baking make the chili.
  5. In a large pan heat the 3 tbsp. of olive oil and add the diced eggplant and spices.
  6. Stir for 5 minutes until the eggplant has started to soften.
  7. Add the Gimme Lean Sausage and break it down into chunks with a wooden spoon in the pan.
  8. Add the beans, tomato and peas. Stir to combine.
  9. Simmer uncovered on low for about 40 minutes stirring every so often.
  10. Once the potatoes are done, slice them in half long ways but not all the way through and open them up.
  11. Lay a slice of cheese in the middle of each potato and then top with a big scoop of chili.
  12. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and green onions. Serve at once.

A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @foodnessgracious on Instagram and hashtag it #foodnessgracious so we can see all the deliciousness!