Wholesome One-Pot Vegetarian Lentil Stew - a cozy blend of sweet potatoes, coconut milk, spices, kale, and lentils. Perfect comfort food in a bowl!
This recipe is Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free, and Gluten Free.
Jump To
Why it's yummy
- Comfort food in a bowl.
- Made with simple ingredients - sweet potatoes, lentils, coconut milk, some basic ingredients that you already have sitting in your pantry. This combination makes a very rich and flavorful lentil stew.
- Versatile. I love how easy it is to customize this one-pot meal, you can sub the sweet potatoes with pumpkin, butternut squash, regular potatoes, chickpeas, green beans. Serve with ciabatta, cornbread, chili flakes, and freshly chopped cilantro. Simply delicious!
Ingredients
- Dried brown lentils - unlike green lentils, they're tastier and cook faster. Save red lentils for soups.
- Vegetable broth - or whatever broth you want to use.
- Aromatics - garlic, onion and ginger are the best base for this kind of soup.
- Coconut milk - shake the can before adding to the soup. You need all of it - the crema and the milk for a hearty stew.
- Spices - coriander, cumin, turmeric, chili flakes, black pepper add complexity.
- Sweet potatoes - thanks to their sweetness and tender texture, they are by far the best for creamy coconut milk-based stews or soups. .
How To Make Vegetarian Stew
In a large pot over medium heat, sauté onions until translucent.
Then add ginger, garlic, chili flakes, coriander, cumin, and turmeric.
Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to coat in the spices.
Follow with lentils and stir to combine all the ingredients.
Pour in the vegetable stock, cover with the lid and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer until lentils become tender but the potatoes almost cooked.
Stir in the coconut milk and kale.
Add the lime juice. Continue to simmer with closed lid until kale is softened slightly about 3 minutes.
Season with salt if needed and simmer for a few minutes more.
Squeeze 1-2 lime wedges into the soup.
Pour into individual bowls and garnish with fresh sliced jalapenos, chili flakes, lime wedges, cilantro.
Serve with fresh bread or cornbread.
Tips
- Soak the lentils for a couple of hours or overnight to reduce cooking time and easy digestion.
- Use more flavorful vegetables. In addition to kale, garlic, onion and sweet potatoes, carrots, and celery, butternut squash, pumpkin, zucchini, peas, and fresh or canned tomatoes are tasty options to fill up this soup with even more fiber and nutritional benefits!
- Let the soup simmer enough to thicken and become even more aromatic once the ingredients had enough time to blend.
- This stew thickness can be easily adjusted by using more or less broth or coconut milk.
How To Serve Vegetarian Stew
- Crusty bread + roasted pepper hummus
- Biscuits
- Cornbread
- Green salad
- Tomatoes
- Lime
- Fresh Herbs
- kale salad
Variations
- You can add a vegan sausage or ground meat to your soup. Before adding these to the soup, brown the meat in the skillet with little cooking oil.
- Swap sweet potato to butternut squash, acorn squash, pumpkin, cauliflower (I have a similar and very delicious Chickpea and Cauliflower Coconut Curry recipe if you want to try next), carrots, turnip, rutabaga, kabocha.
- Swap lentils to barley, chickpeas, red lentils (should be added on very last step when simmering)
- Swap kale for spinach, green beans, mushrooms, parsnips, celery.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
- To Store. Let the lentil stew cool completely, and transfer it to airtight containers, refrigerate, and consume within 2-3 days.
- To Freeze. If you want to freeze it the best time for it is to do it right after making. Let the stew cool down first, and transfer to airtight containers. Freeze for 2-3 months. You may need to add more liquid when reheating it after thawing.
I would appreciate it so much if you left a comment about this recipe below! Subscribe to join the TYB newsletter and receive free recipes straight to your inbox! Let's connect via Facebook, IG & Pinterest!
Recipe
Vegetarian Stew With Lentils
INGREDIENTS
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- ½ cup brown lentils properly rinsed
- 4 cup kale stems removed and leaves chopped
- 3 ¾ cup vegetable stock
- 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small onion
- salt to taste
- cilantro, chili flakes, fresh jalapeno, lime wedges for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large pot over medium heat, add oil and saute onions until translucent. Add ginger, garlic, chili flakes, coriander, cumin, turmeric.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to coat in the spices. Follow with lentils and stir to combine all the ingredients.
- Pour in the vegetable stock, cover with the lid and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until lentils become tender but the potatoes almost cooked.
- Stir in the coconut milk and kale. Add the lime juice. Continue to simmer with closed lid until kale is softened slightly about 3 minutes. Season with salt if needed and simmer for a few minutes more. Squeeze 1-2 lime wedges into the soup.
- Your stew is ready! Pour into individual bowls and garnish with fresh sliced jalapenos, chili flakes, lime wedges, cilantro. Serve with fresh bread or cornbread.
NOTES
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Bear
I am getting ready to make the soup and the first instruction is to saute onions until translucent. WHAT ONIONS? They are not listed in the list of ingredients. Curses! Now I have to go back to the store!
Julia
Hi, I'm so sorry about this. I have now added the onion to the ingredient list, but it is totally fine to make it without. Still will taste good! Sad to hear that because of this you have rated my recipe 3 stars.
Asia
Hi Julia,
have you made this in the instant pot?
Julia
hi Asia, unfortunately not.
Casi
This recipe is so good! We made the stew 2 times this month! I am allergic to garlic so added more onion and it was delicious!
Julia
Thank you so much, so happy that you loved the recipe even the adapted version!
Rita
Made this stew this week and everyone was raving! Definetly keeping this for my staple recipe collection! Thank you
Julia
Thank you so much Rita, I'm so glad you liked it!
comfort food
I really enjoy curries, so I'm looking forward to trying this out. Sweet potatoes and coconut milk are so delicious together.
Julia
thank you! Coconut milk makes everything so delicious, right? Hope you'll enjoy and please report back how it went!
Kate
Gorgeous stew, and packed with so many lovely flavours. Thanks for a great recipe!
Julia
thank you so much Kate!
Michelle Boule
we made this the other night and loved it! It was so full of flavor and was perfect on a cold day
Julia
thank you so much Michelle, the ultimate comfort food 🙂
Kay
I love how the coconut compliments this lentil stew recipe. The jalapenos were a great touch too!
Julia
thank you so much!
Jessica Formicola
I love anything with sweet potatoes, and this stew looks incredible! I can't wait to make it for dinner tonight!
Julia
me too! the best versatile veggie out there! 🙂
Jay
Wonderful flavor!This soup,is absolutely delicious!
Julia
Thank you Jay, please check more coconut milk recipes if you are a fan ) You gonna love these as well!!!
Laura
You don't specify what to do with the sweet potatoes - small dice? large dice? thin slice? thick slice?????
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
hi Laura! Medium diced, about 1/2 inch will be great and will cook quickly!