B is for Black Beans!
This year I'm participating in a bi-weekly challenge with some blogging friends to post recipes using all of the letters in the alphabet. It can feature a food that begins with the letter of the week or the recipe name can contain the week's letter.
I was looking to expand my side dish choices and ran across this Black Bean Sweet Potato Skillet on Taste of Home. I used it as a starting point because I wanted to use the ingredients I had on hand.
I started by sauteing Bermuda onion in olive oil over medium heat until softened. They didn't turn out to be the most attractive color in the finished dish, next time I'd use white onion.
Then I added 2 cans of rinsed and drained low sodium black beans, low sodium chicken broth, chili powder, cinnamon and fresh ground black pepper. I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for 25 minutes.
I had two bags of steam in bag sweet potato cubes so I microwaved those for 4 minutes each and then added them to the pan. I let that cook for another 8 minutes or so, until the mixture was thickened.
I finished it off with some more fresh cracked black pepper and some semi-dried basil. You could also use parsley, thyme, rosemary or sage. I think next time I'll sauté a clove of minced garlic with the onion.
Thank you again to Wendy for hosting the 2025 Alphabet Challenge and to the other bloggers for sharing their recipes this year! Check them out using the links down below! You can see all of the recipes I've made for the challenge here- Alphabet Challenge 2025.
Black Bean Sweet Potato Skillet

Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) low sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 10 ounce packages steam in bag sweet potatoes
- 14-1/2 ounces low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a large skillet, sauté onion in oil until tender. Add the beans, broth, chili pepper, pepper and cinnamon.
- Microwave sweet potatoes for 4 minutes per bag.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Uncover, add sweet potatoes and simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer until mixture is thickened, stirring occasionally.
Notes
Slightly adapted from: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/black-bean-sweet-potato-skillet/
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This sounds like a quick, delicious side dish especially using the frozen sweet potatoes.
ReplyDeleteBlack beans and sweet potatoes go so well together! And I love the red onions added in too. I would be tempted to air fry the sweet potatoes for a bit to add even more nice caramel crustiness to the whole skillet!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so nutritious! I love the flavors together. I'll have to find those bagged sweet potatoes!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delicious protein-filled dish, Jolene! We'd eat this as a main course!
ReplyDeleteI love that you're experimenting with new side dishes. This one is certainly one I need to try...with sweet yellow onion...because they are my favorite. Sweet, large, and they don't make me cry!
ReplyDeleteI've not used frozen sweet potato. Got to try it and to steam it in the microwave, so much faster and easy. I like making black bean and sweet potato with garlic. My go to recipe for wraps and tacos.
ReplyDeleteI have everything I need to try this this weekend. Thanks for the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThis is so delicious and nutritious! I would love to make this any day. Sweetpotatoes and black beans pair well together and this is so simple to make.
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