A beach vacation is one of the best things in life. Last weekend I went on a lovely trip to Port Aransus, TX with my family, who participated in a relay marathon called Beach to Bay. I napped while they ran in the heat and humidity.
I like my way better.
But as fun as going away for a few days can be, it can be so hard to eat healthy in an unfamiliar place. Especially when fried seafood abounds. So when I got home, I couldn’t even look at a potato chip. Or think about a burger. All I wanted was something healthy and packed with as many nutrients as possible to press the “reset” button on my digestive system.
Enter: Sweet Potato, Lentil, and Spinach Stew. AKA, probably the healthiest thing you’ll ever have in your life.
It’s vegan (if you use vegetable broth), it’s packed FULL of fiber, and it has tons of healthy nutrients from three nutritional powerhouses: sweet potatoes, lentils, and spinach.
And the taste! Don’t let the healthiness of this meal fool you. It. Tastes. AMAZING. A secret ingredient is added at the end that makes it tangy and delicious- red wine vinegar. Seriously- don’t knock it ’till you try it! It has the same affect as adding lemon or lime juice to a recipe- it doesn’t taste vinegary, but it brightens up the whole dish. I got that trick from Greek Lentil Soup (also delicious).
Between the vinegar, smoked paprika, oregano, garlic, and onions… mmm, mmm. This stew is hearty, healthy, and oh so tasty.
And we haven’t even gotten to the BEST PART yet! This recipe makes a ton for almost no money. I mean a ton. It will easily serve 10-12 people, or you can divide it into portions for easy freezer meals. Lentils and sweet potatoes are a dime a dozen, so you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck.
So there you are, folks. Delicious, cheap, and EXTREMELY healthy. Oh, and wicked easy to make (you can also make it in your slow cooker- see notes in recipe below). You’re welcome.
Enjoy!
Smoky Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 ribs celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups chicken stock/broth or vegetable broth
- 2 sweet potatoes diced
- 1 lb brown lentils sorted through and rinsed
- 28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 5 oz. baby spinach
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté the onion and celery in the olive oil (2 tablespoons) over medium-high heat until tender and starting to brown (about 3 minutes).
- Add garlic; sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Add the chicken broth (6 cups), diced sweet potatoes, lentils, tomatoes, and spices. Bring to a boil, turn heat down, cover, and simmer on low for approximately 30 minutes (or until lentils and sweet potatoes are tender).
- Using a potato masher, mash soup a few times in order to thicken it.
- Stir in the spinach and allow to wilt. Stir in the vinegar and serve.
Notes
- To make this in your slow cooker, omit the olive oil and add all ingredients except the spinach and vinegar. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Then, pick up from step #4.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Jess Coplans
YUM! I didn’t have broth so I did water and chicken bouillon. This recipe yielded a LOT of food, and I love leftovers. I’d recommend mashing it quite a bit for a nice texture. I also used sprinkle Parmesan so yeah it wasn’t vegan anymore but still! Lol. Packed with nutrition!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Katie
I just made this having returned from a vacation in the mountains where all we ate was meat, cheese, and potatoes… exactly as you said, I was craving something purely ‘healthy’, and this really ticked the box!! The kids even loved it! Especially the ‘sauce’ which they said was ‘delicious’. I think the vinegar ‘tang’ really makes it special. Thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Amanda
Amazing recipe! As a family, we’re just now starting to explore heathier ways to eat, and this recipe definitely hit the mark. I also added about 2.5 cups of shredded chicken. I just got an already cooked rotisserie chicken from the store to save time. And I added a little extra broth and seasonings to taste. This recipe was quick and easy! And my husband and 11 year old loved it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Aw, yay! So happy you liked it, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Michelle
Can you please confirm what color of lentils you used for this recipe?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Great question! I used brown lentils :-) I’ll add that to the recipe card now!
Mary Sittig
how long should I cook it in an Instantpot?
Elizabeth
I haven’t tried it, but it looks like lentils cook for about 10-12 minutes at high pressure in an Instant Pot. Here’s a great resource: http://instantpoteats.com/instant-pot-101-how-to-cook-legumes/ Hope that helps!
Dominika
It really warmed up a cold night here in London! My boyfriend loved it too :)
Dominika
Thanks for the recipe, it’s delicious! Adding the vinegar is an excellent tip!
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it! :-)
Barbara Manning
With a slow cooker, I don’t think it’s necessary to soak the lentils, but whenever you use dried beans, lentils or any other dried legume, you need to sort through them. According to America’s Test Kitchen, we’re better off buying canned beans and lentils, because the sorting, and grading is done for us. Dried beans, lentils and other dried “things” are not as well regulated, so you’re going to find stones, and other objects (some of them are edible) in the sack. Since, according to them, there is no nutritional (or otherwise) difference between the dried product and the canned product, (except for the time involved). So buy the canned product if if affordable. It’s more convenient and cleaner.
Elizabeth
Thanks for the tips, Barbara! And if you do go with canned, that means they are already cooked- so make sure you use MUCH less liquid to make the stew and you don’t have to cook it for quite as long!
Ginny
Does this call for canned or dried lentils? If I used dried do I need to soak overnight first? I’ve never cooked with lentils before but have been looking fora good recipe to try them. This looks perfect. Thanks!
Elizabeth
This calls for dried lentils. You can soak them if you want- if you do that, use a little less broth. I usually do soak mine but I was pressed for time when I made this recipe, so I skipped it, and it came out fine!