This warm and cozy Vegetarian Sweet Potato Peanut Stew is the best of many worlds. A riff on West African Peanut Stew (Maafe), it has a tomato and peanut base like its inspiration, plus sweet potatoes, spinach, and (a must!) crunchy peanuts on top.
Peanut butter, spinach, and sweet potato, you say? YES. It’s the MOST glorious combo – trust me.
For us, This Vegetarian African Peanut Stew has been a definite dinner-on-repeat over the course of the winter. It has a relatively simple list of ingredients, so it’s an easy throw-together meal for weeknights.
Vegetarian Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew Ingredients
What do we have? Well, these ingredients, for one:
Peanut butter, sweet potatoes, garlic, ginger, onion, crushed tomatoes, and spinach. Plus ground cumin and ground coriander. YUM. AND cayenne pepper for a touch of irresistible heat.
How to Make It
You start by sauteeing the aromatics, then add the broth and sweet potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, then melt in the peanut butter and stir in the spinach just until wilted.
Serve up with a nice scoop of brown rice and top with lots of chopped salted peanuts and some cilantro and BOOM! Dinner is served.
Do people still say “BOOM?” Probably not.
This stew though! Do it.
What to Serve with It
Rice is a must! I prefer brown rice as its earthy flavors and texture hold up well to the hearty Sweet Potato Peanut Stew.
A green salad served alongside is always welcome, and I think kale salad is the perfect companion. How about this Lemon-Garlic Kale Salad or colorful Rainbow Kale Salad?
2medium sweet potatoes(peeled and diced) (about 2 cups)
1tablespoonfresh ginger
1/4teaspoonground red cayenne pepper(plus or minus to taste)
1/2teaspoonkosher salt + more to taste
1/4teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper + more to taste
1/2cupcreamy peanut butter
4cupspacked fresh baby spinach
For serving:
2cupscooked brown rice
Garnish:
Fresh cilantro
Chopped salted peanuts
Instructions
Cook the rice according to package instructions.
While the rice cooks, make the stew. Set a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
Add the broth, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, ginger, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the stew comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until the sweet potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes.
Stir in the peanut butter and the spinach. Stew is done when the peanut butter has distributed and the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
Serve with a scoop of brown rice and garnish with cilantro and peanuts.
Notes
Meat option
Classic West African Peanut Stew often contains chicken, so you could totally stir some cooked/shredded chicken into the carnivores’ portions.