Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew
This Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew is a hearty vegetarian dish with smoky heat. Easy to make, SO delicious and it’s healthy!
I know spring is coming but it’s still “freezing” at times here in Southern California so I’m making and eating the sweet potato black bean stew okay? It’s got sweet potatoes (duh), black beans (also duh), onions, bell peppers, chipotle peppers for smoky heat and a lovely blend of other spices that make this healthy stew recipe something crave-able. Plus the whole recipe comes together in under one hour (less time if you have things pre-chopped) so you can easily whip it up for a weeknight dinner. Annnd it’s actually vegan, I just didn’t want to call it vegan since I’m serving it with cheese and sour cream, ya feel?
Ingredients
Sweet potato and black bean stew
- Sweet potatoes
- Black beans
- Red bell pepper – you could also use yellow or orange
- Onion – I used yellow, but you could use white or even red, use what you have!
- Garlic
- Canned tomatoes – I used crushed because I was going for an extra thick stew but you could also use a can of diced or whole. Just makes sure you break up the whole tomatoes a bit of course
- Vegetable stock or chicken stock if you’re not vegetarian
- Spices – chili powder, cumin, paprika and cinnamon
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
What are chipotle peppers in adobo sauce?
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are jalapeño peppers that have been dried, smoked and then packed in a blend of spices and tomato sauce. You can find them in most grocery stores, usually in the international foods section with the Latin foods.
If you’ve never used these before, now is a great time to start! They add the perfect smoky heat that is just meant for this warming stew. You will need one pepper (chopped) to make this stew, plus a bit of the sauce. One of my other favorite things to with the sauce is mix it with mayo for a killer chipotle aioli that is so good with french fries and on sandwiches, burgers or wraps!
How to make sweet potato and black bean stew
Gosh this recipe is so easy I love it.
The first thing you will need to do is cut up all of your veggies. Sweet potatoes need to be cubed, onions and bell peppers chopped, garlic minced. We will also need to chop one chipotle pepper but that doesn’t go in right away.
I like making this is my dutch oven. I got one from Staub for Christmas and I love it so much!! It’s so sturdy and it’s just beautiful. You can also any large soup pot to make this stew. We won’t be putting it in the oven.
Once your veggies are chopped, throw them in the pot to sauté until tender. In goes everything else and we let it simmer for about twenty-five minutes. Voila!
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Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew
A vegetarian stew that will please all eaters! It’s got sweet potatoes, black beans, bell pepper and smoky heat from chipotle peppers.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main Course, Soup
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tsp oil
- 2–3 small sweet potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups )
- 1/2 white or yellow onion (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (about 1 cup chopped )
- 3 cloves garlic (minced )
- 2 15 oz can black beans (rinsed and drained )
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken if not vegetarian)
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo (chopped) plus 3 tsp of adobo sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp salt (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Suggested toppings
- cheddar cheese or Mexican cheese blend
- sour cream
- avocado
- cilantro
Suggested side
- cornbread
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and sweet potato. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until onions and peppers soften and sweet potatoes are slightly soft.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the beans, tomatoes, vegetable stock, chipotle pepper, chipotle sauce and spices. (Tip: when you empty the can of crushed tomatoes, add about 1/4 cup water to the can, swirl it around and dump into the Dutch oven to get all the tomato out and add a little extra liquid).
- Turn heat to medium low, cover and cook about 25 minutes. Taste and add more salt if desired.
- Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, avocado and cilantro. Cornbread goes great on the side!
Notes
1. Tomatoes: you can use a 28 oz can of diced or whole tomatoes instead of crushed. If you use whole, you will just need to break up the tomatoes with a spoon.
2. Salt: you may want to add more or less salt depending on how salty your stock is and your own personal taste. Try starting with 1/2 tsp and once it has simmered for the 25 minutes, taste and add more if desired. 3/4 tsp was the sweet spot for me.
