A hearty African Sweet Potato Stew with sweet potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, lentils and peanut butter!
Peanut butter is a terrific addition to hearty stews. It bumps up the protein and makes everything so much more delicious. Like this yummy African Peanut Stew and this African sweet potato stew.
This sweet potato stew is loaded with vegetables. There are onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and bell peppers here, and each veggie adds more flavor and nutrition to the pot. Lentils, so delicious in an Ethiopian lentil stew, add more heft and healthy protein.
A mix of savory herbs -- marjoram, oregano and sage -- makes the stew heartier and headier.
This is an incredibly healthy recipe. Each serving of the sweet potato stew has 20 grams of fiber and 18 grams of protein for just 317 calories, as well as hefty doses of vitamins A and C and iron.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- Nourishing, with a rainbow of veggies. Everything in this stew is good for you. You know eating veggies of different colors every day gives you a variety of nutrients, and you can indulge that need as well as your tastebuds with this sweet potato stew. Lentils add more heft and delicious protein.
- Easy recipe. The stew is one-pot and most of the hands-on time is for prepping the veggies. If you plan on making the stew on a weeknight, you can cut the veggies a couple of days ahead and store them in the fridge until ready to use. You can even use pre-cut veggies or frozen veggies.
- Family friendly. This stew is hearty enough to satisfy an omnivore and I daresay a kid might enjoy the peanut butter in the stew. The recipe is also gluten-free and you can make it soy-free or nut-free. See more instructions in the section on special diets below.
Ingredients
- Vegetables: onions, tomatoes, sweet potatoes (orange or purple), bell peppers (any color), carrots and scallions (optional, for garnish).
- Brown lentils. You can also use green lentils or chickpeas in this recipe.
- Herbs: Sage, marjoram and oregano.
- Seasonings: Red pepper flakes, soy sauce, smooth peanut butter and curry powder.
How to make African Sweet Potato Stew
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt and ground black pepper. Sauté for a couple of minutes until the onions are translucent.
Stir in the sweet potatoes and mix. Cover the pot and let the sweet potatoes cook for a couple of minutes.
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Add the bell peppers and carrots to the pot and mix well. Let the veggies cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes and carrots are almost tender.
Add the tomato puree to the pot and mix well.
Stir in the lentils and add two cups vegetable stock or water.
Stir in the spices and herbs: sage, oregano, marjoram, red pepper flakes and curry powder. Mix well and bring to a boil.
Add the peanut butter to the pot and mix it in until it has dissolved into the stew. Bring the stew back to a boil, turn heat to simmer, cover the pot and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the soy sauce and mix well. Add salt as needed. Garnish with the optional scallions or cilantro. Serve hot.
Thank you so much for sharing this absolutely amazing recipe with us! I have just made it, and honestly, I think I could have finished up the whole pot myself. My daughters and I absolutely loved it, and this will be a weekly treat for us from now on.
-Kersti
Variations
- Add ½ cup of peanuts along with the veggies for more texture in the stew.
- Switch up the veggies. Potatoes, butternut squash, zucchini, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant would all work.
Tweaks for special diets
- Oil-free. Saute the onions in ¼ cup water or vegetable stock.
- Nut-free. Use a seed butter, like pumpkin seed butter or sunflower seed butter.
- Low-carb. Use edamame in the recipe instead of lentils. Switch to veggies with fewer carbs, like zucchini, green beans and kale.
Serving suggestions
The stew is delicious on its own, but if you want to amp it up, serve with one or more of the following:
- Quinoa or rice.
- A slice of crusty bread.
- Afresh side salad, like a vegan Caesar salad.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Store the stew in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.
- Freeze: The sweet potato stew can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to four months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave before serving.
Recipe card
African Sweet Potato Stew
Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil (or any vegetable oil of choice)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and finely diced. I used purple sweet potatoes, but orange sweet potatoes are just as good)
- 2 large bell peppers (any color, diced. I used a red bell pepper and a yellow bell pepper)
- 2 medium carrots (diced. I used an orange carrot and a white carrot)
- 4 medium tomatoes (pureed)
- 2 cups vegetable stock (or water)
- 14 oz brown lentils (canned or cooked)
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use more or less depending on your tolerance to heat)
- ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 4 scallions (green and white parts chopped, for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat oil in Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and season with salt and ground black pepper. Saute for a couple of minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Stir in the sweet potatoes and mix. Cover the pot and let the sweet potatoes cook for a couple of minutes. Add the bell peppers and carrots to the pot and mix well. Let the veggies cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes and carrots are almost tender.
- Add the tomato puree to the pot and mix well. Stir in the lentils and add two cups vegetable stock or water.
- Stir in the spices and herbs: sage, oregano, marjoram, red pepper flakes and curry powder. Mix well and bring to a boil.
- Add the peanut butter to the pot and mix it in until it has dissolved into the stew. Bring the stew back to a boil, turn heat to simmer, cover the pot and cook until all the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the soy sauce and mix well. Add salt if needed. Garnish with the optional scallions or cilantro and serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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Anonymous
This was fantastic! My husband and I both loved this stew & it will definitely be one of our go to dinners moving forward. Thanks so much for this delicious recipe!
Hilary
Made this last night for my husband and me and it was so tasty! Lovely combination! Thank you so much.