Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
A delicious, healthy, and warming sweet potato and peanut stew. Spiced but not spicy, it happens to be vegan.
Servings: 6
Calories: 336kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion diced; ~1 cup
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons ginger minced or grated; don't be afraid to use extra
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes cut into 1-inch pieces; peel if you're mashing, not blending the soup
- ½ cup red lentils 84 grams/3 ounces; brown are okay too, as long as you blend the soup
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- 4 cups vegetable broth 908 grams/32 ounces
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter 64 grams
- 4 cups kale 340 grams; cut into very small pieces; frozen is okay too!
- ¼ cup green onions chopped; optional but pretty
- ¼ cup peanuts 60 grams; chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 3 minutes, being careful not to let anything scorch.
- Add sweet potatoes, lentils, tomatoes, and spices. Stir in broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 30-45 minutes, until sweet potatoes and lentils are tender.
- Stir in peanut butter. Use an immersion blender to puree almost all of the soup, breaking down the big chunks of sweet potato. (You can use a potato masher to make a chunky stew, if desired.) The pureed soup will be very thick.
- Stir in kale. Cook on medium-low for another 3 minutes to wilt the kale.
- Taste soup. Add pepper and up to ½ teaspoon of salt, to taste, depending on how salty your broth is. If desired, add a little more broth or water to thin it out.
- Serve soup topped with green onions and chopped peanuts.
Notes
This makes great, hearty leftovers! The soup will thicken up, so add a dash of water when reheating it.
Frozen cubed sweet potatoes work great; it will just take longer to bring your soup to a boil. Don't use canned sweetened yams.
I don't peel my sweet potatoes because I blend the soup. If you decide to mash the soup for a chunky texture, I recommend peeling your sweet potatoes.
Red lentils and brown lentils work fine. Brown lentils will take longer to cook. They will also not dissolve into the soup like red lentils do. If using common brown lentils, I recommend blending, not mashing, the soup.
I use frozen kale in this often. Frozen chopped spinach is also fine.
Turmeric adds a nice background flavor to this soup. If your turmeric is flavorless, throw it out and buy a fresh jar.
The amount of cayenne in this soup adds a touch of heat without making it spicy. Add a dash if you're very sensitive to hot-spicy food; double it (or more) if you like your food spicy.
I have not tried it, but you can likely substitute in tahini/sesame butter for peanut butter to accommodate a peanut allergy.
I've made a lower FODMAP version of this soup by using garlic-infused olive oil, and substituting leeks for the chopped onion.
Adapted from Food52
Nutrition
Calories: 336kcal
