Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew (Gluten Free, Vegan)

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This Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew is healthy, hearty, and satisfying. It’s a perfect dinner dish – and you only need one pot to make it!
Edit: this post and photos were updated on 10/2019.

There are a few one-word phrases that instantly grab my attention in the recipe world, some of which include:
One-Pot
Easy 
30-ish Minutes
Budget-Friendly
…and Sweet Potatoes.

pot of sweet potato red lentil and peanut stew with wooden spoon

The good news is that this Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew hits all of those marks! Plus, all of the ingredients are easily accessible and budget-friendly. I’d be willing to guess you already have most of them in your pantry.

I fondly remember the first time I had a variation of this sweet potato stew. I went to my first-ever vegan festival (in Pittsburgh, PA) and a local restaurant was advertising a “African Peanut Stew.” I had only ever put peanuts on my toast and oatmeal before, and occasionally delved into the savory Pad-Thai world. Intrigued by the concept of a savory peanut soup, I purchased a bowl – and oh boy, was I in love.

two bowls of sweet potato stew topped with cilantro on grey background

So that being said, if you are questioning the combination of peanuts + tomatoes + garlic and ginger, I get you. I’ll admit that it sounds strange, but for some reason it just…works. Really really well, at that.

This Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, & Peanut Stew is inspired by the traditional West-African Peanut Stew, but I’ve definitely put my own twist on it! If you are a long time supporter of From My Bowl, this recipe will look familiar to you! I originally created this recipe using butternut squash and while it was good,  decided to swap it out for sweet potatoes. The latter gives a heartier and creamier texture once cooked down, but if you are in a bind either will work.

close up photo of sweet potato and lentils topped with cilantro

A Few Final Thoughts:

  • The recipe calls for peeled sweet potatoes, but you can also leave them unpeeled if you’d like some extra fiber and some texture in the soup. Just make sure to scrub them really well!
  • If you have any leftovers, feel free to freeze them for a later date. I love to make big batches of this and then freeze them for “emergency meals” when I’m in a rush or don’t have time to cook.
  • This dish can be eaten on it’s own, but I also love to serve it with brown rice or quinoa. It helps it go a little further and make the meal even more satisfying.

sweet potato stew in bowl with rice and peas

If you’re looking for more sweet potato recipes you’ll also love this Hearty Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup, this Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup, and this One Pot Pumpkin Curry.

Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations ????

This Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew is healthy, hearty, and satisfying. It's a perfect dinner dish - and you only need one pot to make it! #sweetpotato #stew #africanstew #peanutstew #vegan #plantbased | frommybowl.com

 

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Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew

This Sweet Potato, Red Lentil, and Peanut Stew is healthy, hearty, and satisfying. It’s a perfect dinner dish – and you only need one pot to make it!

  • Author: Caitlin Shoemaker
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6-8 1x
  • Category: Main
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
  • 35 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon salt-free curry powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce or omit for less spice)
  • 1 6-ounce (170 g) can tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup (85 g) natural peanut butter
  • 1 28-ounce (790 g) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes (about 5 cups)
  • 1 1/2 cups (309 g) dry red lentils, rinsed
  • 3 cups (700 ml) vegetable broth
  • Salt, to taste
  • Optional: fresh cilantro and cooked brown rice, to serve

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot to medium heat and add a splash of water or neutral cooking oil. Add the onion to the pot and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the ginger and garlic to the pot and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the curry powder, cumin, and cayenne and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.
  2. Stir the tomato paste and peanut butter into the mixture; once dissolved, add the diced tomatoes, sweet potatoes, red lentils, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until the lentils have fully cooked.
  3. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh cilantro; serve warm. Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to one week, or the freezer for up to two months.

Notes

To cook this in an Instant Pot: With the iPot in the sauté setting, add a splash of water to the pot with the ginger, garlic, and onion. Sauté until translucent, then add the Spices and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the pot, seal it, and cook on Manual HIGH for 15-18 minutes.

Keywords: Sweet potato stew, sweet potato peanut stew, vegan peanut stew, west african peanut stew, red lentil stew, vegan peanut stew

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About the Author

Hey there, I’m Caitlin! I make easy-to-follow, wholesome, and budget-friendly vegan recipes that are mostly gluten-free and refined sugar-free. I’m also an avid yogi, love the great outdoors, am chocolate-obsessed, and enjoy eating almond butter straight off of the spoon.

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Comments

  1. I’ve made this many times and absolutely love it, it is a staple! So healthy too.

    Question — I want to make it tonight but don’t have onions. Do you think it will turn out? Thanks very much!

    1. Hi Amy! I’m so glad you like the recipe 🙂 The flavor will be pretty different without the onions. I’d suggest adding 2-3 teaspoons of onion powder with the cumin for a similar flavor.

  2. I love peanut butter in savoury dishes! I can already tell this is going to taste so amazing. Thanks for the recipe!

  3. Looks delicious! How many grams are 2 large sweet potatoes? I will make this dish tonight and I’m so excited! 🙂

  4. Hi caitlin!
    Just a question about the iPot cooking instructions. When cooking with this method, will you still get distinct lentils in the stew or will they pretty much disintegrate? I’ve had a lot of troubles with lentils just disintegrating in my instant lot. Is this what I should expect? Thank you!

  5. Just made this in my instant pot and it was Delicious!! Will definitely have to keep this recipe to make again!!

  6. Hello, the flavors in this dish are great and I appreciate that it’s vegan. I have a question about cooking it in the Instant Pot, though. I followed your instructions and ingredients exactly, and before it reached pressure, it said “burn”. I dumped out the contents, and indeed it had burned on the bottom and many lentils were stuck to the bottom. I washed and scraped those out and then tried again. The exact same thing happened. At that point I switched to the stovetop instead. What am I doing wrong?

    1. Hi Vicky – you could definitely make it in a slow cooker, but as I’ve not tested that method, I’m not too sure on the cooking time or if you would need to add extra liquid to it

  7. I made this for dinner tonight for my big family and got nothing but positive feedback. I am 16 years old and am trying to expose my family to the vegan lifestyle. (I am vegetarian myself… I want to go vegan and I avoid dairy and eggs as much as possible but it is hard to be 100% vegan while still living with my parents and siblings) It was insanely delicious and my family couldn’t stop raving about how fantastic it was. I made 1 1/2 of this recipe to have more food, and I made brown rice as well as stirred spinach into the stew. I have plenty of leftovers, but I am sure they will be gone soon!

  8. Hi Caitlin, I want to make this recipe for my family of 6 for dinner, but I am just not sure how many servings it will make! Everyone in my house eats alot, so I was just going to double it. Any suggestions?