Cold winter nights call for a warm pot of chili; it’s just a fact. To up the health factor (and because we love ’em so much), we added sweet potato to our chili recipe for a hearty meal that you can still feel good about when you go back for seconds.

Like most chili recipes, this one is pretty forgiving, so go ahead and substitute ingredients or add others where you see fit. You could use kidney beans instead of black beans, or leave them out altogether. Ground beef or chicken would work in place of the turkey—or make it vegetarian. Oh, and the topping options are endless (but you knew that).

RELATED: White Turkey Chili with Avocado

Sweet Potato Chili with Turkey and Black Beans

Servings: 6 servings

Time:

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed

1 pound ground turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1 bay leaf

One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

One 15-ounce can tomato sauce

One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

Avocado slices, chopped scallions, cheddar cheese and sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the turkey and cook until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

2. Add the sweet potatoes and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, cloves, cinnamon stick and bay leaf, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the flavors have melded, 50 minutes to 1 hour (or longer). Serve with avocado slices, scallions, cheddar cheese and sour cream, if desired.