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This gluten-free and vegan Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew is absolutely packed full of colour, flavour and goodness. It is so simple to make, uses only one pot and can be made for under £4, costing roughly £1 per portion! It’s also one of the most popular recipes I have ever created so I am sure you’re going to enjoy it too.
Recipe Difficulty – Easy!
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
This Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew is the perfect comforting dish to make during this cold weather. One of the best parts about this recipe is there is minimal prep and you simply chuck all the ingredients into one-pot to cook down. No hassle, minimal effort and incredibly simple to make, give it a go!
I was inspired to create this recipe as my Hearty Potato Stew and 15 Minute Chickpea Stew recipes have been so popular! However, this recipe has a different combination of spices that really take the Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew to the next level. Paired with rice or the ultimate Quinoa you won’t look back! I can guarantee this recipe will be on a weekly rotation in your household!
Ingredients to make Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew
- Spinach – this adds some greenery and extra nutrition. Alternatively, kale would work nicely too!
- Tomato Puree – this adds flavour, depth and body to the stew.
- Canned Tomatoes – add the perfect amount of liquid to the stew and also provides a rich and sweet flavour with a touch of acidity.
- Ground Coriander – a fresh tasting spice, that is floral and citrusy.
- Paprika – this spice provides a round, woody, smokey flavour that really takes this Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew to the next level!
- Turmeric – an earthy spice, which helps provide depth to the flavours of the stew
- Chilli Flakes – these provide a subtle, yet gentle heat to the Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew.
- Cayenne Pepper – add depth, body and a gentle spice to the stew
- Vegetable Stock – adds to the general flavour as well as adding body and depth to the recipe.
- Black Beans – a great source of plant-based protein and adds some texture.
- Onion – I’ve used a red onion here, however you could use a white onion if you preferred.
- Garlic – adding garlic offers a gentle spice and adds more flavour.
- Sweet Potato – these have a mild and starchy flavour along with a sweetness than an ordinary potato doesn’t have. If you have any spare then also try my Sweet Potato Soup or Sweet Potato Satay Curry.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Sweet Potato – this Sweet Potato and Black Bean recipe would also work well with butternut squash instead of sweet potato. If you are a butternut squash lover, then I have a great Butternut Squash and Coconut Dhal you should try!
- Black Beans – these could be substituted for another bean such as chickpeas or even tinned lentils if you preferred!
- Onion – I’ve used a red onion as there is already a lot of flavour in this recipe, however you could use a white onion for a stronger flavour if desired.
- Spinach – kale would also work well in this recipe, if using kale, I would cook this for around 5 minutes to allow the kale to fully soften.
Variations
- Slow Cooker – Add everything to the slow cooker pot as listed apart from the 400ml of stock and just add a stock pot/cube into the pot instead.
- Deluxe – this recipe is already incredibly tasty, however if you have dinner guests and would like to take it to the next level, be sure to add some chopped coriander on top and serve it with some fresh lime wedges! You could even accompany it with my 3 Ingredient Gluten Free Flatbreads to really soak up the sauce and flavours!
- Kid-friendly – I make all my dishes mild for all to enjoy, however if you have a child who is particular sensitive to spice you could reduce the quantities of cayenne pepper and chilli flakes which would make it even milder.
- Meat – if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian, you could also add some meat into this recipe such as chicken (I would add this in step 2).
Instructions to make Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew
Step 1: Firstly, peel and chop the sweet potatoes into small cubes and dice the red onion
Step 2: Heat a large pot on a medium heat with olive oil and add crushed garlic, onion and spices and then fry together for a couple minutes
Step 3: Then add the tinned tomatoes, black beans, sweet potato, tomato puree, vegetable stock and a pinch of pepper and stir together
Step 4: Bring to a boil then reduce to a low heat placing the lid on the pan for 20-25 minutes (until your desired consistency, I like mine fairly thick). Finally, stir through the spinach until it wilts.
Leftovers
Always make extras as this tastes even better the next day! You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a couple days or freeze it down to enjoy another day.
Recipe FAQs
No, I make my dishes mild for everyone to enjoy. If you are particularly sensitive to spice you would reduce the cayenne pepper and chilli flake quantity. Alternatively, if spice is your vice, then feel free to increase these quantities!
Absolutely, if you are vegan or vegetarian you could serve this dish with quinoa for an added protein hit. If you aren’t vegan or vegetarian you could add your meat of choice into pot (at step 2).
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a couple of days! This recipe is great as it can be frozen for up to 1 month so perfect to grab out of the freezer if your fridge is running bare.
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Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew
Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- large pot
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil/coconut oil
- 2 large garlic cloves,, crushed
- 1 red onion,, diced
- 1 heaped tsp turmeric
- 1 pinch chilli flakes
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 large sweet potatoes(roughly 800g),, peeled and chopped into small cubes
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 2x 400g cans tomatoes
- 2x 400g cans black beans,, drained and rinsed
- 400 ml veg stock
- 2-3 handfuls fresh spinach or kale
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Firstly peel and chop the sweet potatoes into small cubes and dice the red onion
- Heat a large pot on a medium heat with olive oil and add crushed garlic, onion and spices and then fry together for a couple minutes
- Then add the tinned tomatoes, black beans(drained), sweet potato, tomato puree, vegetable stock and a pinch of pepper and stir together
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a low heat placing the lid on the pan for 20-25 minutes (until your desired consistency, I like mine fairly thick)
- Finally, add the spinach and stir through until it wilts and it's ready to serve
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I made stew today and it’s delicious. Plus, it smells wonderful! I’ll definitely make it again.
Thanks Sonja 🙂 so pleased you enjoyed it!
I made this for dinner tonight except so I had to change the name of it to butternut squash and black bean stew. I subbed out 300 g of butternut squash instead of the sweet potato for caloric raisins and added 1 teaspoon of maple syrup for the sweetness. I also dropped the veggie stock to 300ml instead of 400ml. Add a little bit more garlic then you’d called for. It came out spectacular. Really really liked it. Great job again James. Thank you for your creativity.
Hi James,
I just wanted to comment and let you know that I loved your sweet potato and bean recipe. I’ve featured it on my ‘antioxidant challenge recipe roundup’ list. This is the link: https://www.happierwithtea.com/index.php/2020/02/13/antioxidant-challenge-recipe-roundup-36-recipes/?preview_id=769&preview_nonce=35bedcd9c2&preview=true&_thumbnail_id=783
Thank you so much!
Appreciate that Freya 🙂 thank you!
Wow. This is incredibly delicious. I’m making it for the third time.
That’s awesome Marci 🙂 so pleased you’re enjoying it!
This is soooo delicious. My friends came over to dinner and loved it as much as I did. Also very healthy.
Just tried this recipe yesterday!! It turned out amazing and so easy to make. I love it and so healthy, it might even convert my husband into eating more veg, still haven’t got him to try it as yet!! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Love to hear that Nikita 🙂 thanks for sharing!
This is delicious! I made it exactly as written and served it with brown rice. Family loved it; hubby had two bowlsful.
The spices and the other ingredients meld so well together. This will definitely be on my cooking rotation.
Thank you for sharing!
Amazing so pleased you all enjoyed it Betsy!!
What did I do wrong? I am making this right now. I have put on low for over an hour and the sweet potatoes are still hard. They are under 1″ square. Thanks
I would say either the heat isn’t high enough or you cut the potatoes too big as they should have softened well before an hour!
I am on this website everyday searching for my next dinner. This sweet potato black bean stew is one of my favourites. It’s a great for batch cooking and freezing. I confess, I am lazy, I don’t bother peeling my sweet potatoes!
Thank you Caroline 🙂 so pleased to hear you keep coming back for more recipes! Glad I can help.
This was so delicious. 8 year old grandson had 2 servings and he always say “I don’t like veggies.”
Yay so pleased to hear it when the kids enjoy the recipes 🙂 thanks TJ!