Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
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If you’re looking for something hearty, comforting, AND healthy the next time you’re out camping, you need to try this vegan sweet potato peanut stew.
We recently cooked up a pot of this stove over our campfire in Anza Borrego and it was everything we could have hoped for and more. If you’re looking for something to warm you up on a cold winter’s evening, then this stew is for you!
We cooked this at Borrego Palm Canyon Campground, just outside of Borrego Springs, CA. While we typically seek out free camp spots while camping in the desert, we decided to splurge and pay for an official campsite (that’s right: a picnic table, fire ring, and access to a nearby flushing toilet now constitute “splurging” in our lives). In our former weekend warrior days, we camped at this campground on more than a few occasions, so our stay here felt like visiting an old friend.
During these brisk desert, evenings having a campfire is nice, but having a campfire with a simmering stew on top of it is even better. This particular recipe was inspired by an African Peanut Stew we saw while leafing through the amazing Oh She Glows cookbook.
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We loved the flavors of the original (chunky sweet potato, creamy peanut butter broth, and a smoky chili aroma) but we decided to make a few alterations in order to streamline it for camp cooking. This stripped down version is loaded with all the essentials you need to get that same big flavor without taking up too much room in your cooler.
So the next time you’re out camping, give this one a try. It just might become your new go-to stew.
African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion, diced (to yield 1 1/2 cups )
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 medium sweet potato, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes (to yield 2 cups)
- 2 cups broth
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- ¼ cup peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons New Mexico chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 14 oz can chickpeas, drained
- 2 cups tuscan kale, destemmed and chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and saute about 5 minutes, until translucent and just starting to brown in spots. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the sweet potato, broth, tomatoes & their juices, peanut butter, chili powder, and salt. Stir well to ensure the peanut butter is thoroughly mixed in and there's no clumps remaining. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- Once the sweet potatoes are tender, add the chickpeas and the kale to the dutch oven. Stir to combine and heat until the chickpeas have warmed through and the kale has wilted.
Pretty much cleared all the food groups on this one, including peanut butter :p I’ve got all of these ingredients in the cupboard and fridge right now, so I think I’ll have to give this one a go!! I need to head out camping so I can try some of your camp recipes at an actual camp site :p
Let us know how it turns out, KJ! I’m sure it will be just as delicious made at home, but there is definitely something about cooking a meal over a campfire and enjoying it with a nice view that really kicks things up a notch 😉
love this!! If you guys can pull this off on a campfire, we should all be able to pull it off at home! Fave flavors in this one!
Thanks, Kathy! This would be so good at home – I can totally imagine cozying up to this on a chilly evening!
This sounds so good. But I can’t eat peanuts. Is there a substitute that you think would work?
ps. You guys make camping look amazing! 🙂
Hi Kortney! So, I haven’t tried it myself, but I would think maybe tahini would be a good substitute. I’m not super savvy on allergens – what do you think? I might try testing this out and updating the recipe to include it if it’s tasty!
Aw, just clicked over to your site and saw that sesame is an issue 🙁 I’ll keep thinking about this one!
I’m thinking about it as well! The problem is I don’t know the taste that they bring. hmmm
I think the peanut butter is mostly a background flavor, but it also brings a kind of creamy smoothness to the stew’s broth. I did a little more digging, and maybe hemp seed butter would work? It’s not a duplicate flavor wise, but I think it might add a nutty background note and might replicate the creaminess in the broth. Again, haven’t tested it, but perhaps that’s an option!
I’m guessing you probably already solved this problem, but sunflower seed butter is pretty easy to find and would probably be the closest flavor match. And it’s similarly creamy. I’d try and find one without added sweeteners.
Love this! This looks super-tasty and you both look like you’re having so much fun!
Thanks, Carol! 🙂
Absolutely love these photos! They definitely tell a story, excellent work
Thank you for the kind words, Carmella! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! My wife and I tried it a couple days ago and loved it. Very tasty and easy to prepare in a camp setting. We are loving all the plant based recipes you have been posting!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. We’ll keep it up.
I made this for camping at first and now I make it in my kitchen at home. Super duper tasty and so easy. Thanks so much for this recipe!