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This vegan African peanut stew is rich and flavorful and uses staple pantry ingredients. Made in one pot, requires minimal prep work, loaded with nutrition – It’s an easy family meal! Serve over rice, pasta, bread, tortilla…And if you’re looking for baby led weaning recipes, be sure to save this one!
It’s comforting to see my pantry stocked with canned tomato products of all kinds. However, there’s only so much red sauce that we can take. And then I feel a pang of guilt for being picky during this time when I know many people around the world are struggling to get meals on the table.
So let’s give those glorious tomato sauces lots of lovin’ and even come up with different ways to enjoy them! Like this vegan African peanut stew. The simple addition of peanut butter really gives the typical red sauce new life. It also helps thicken the stew and makes it rich, creamy, and absolutely comforting!
This dish is also perfect for babies and kids. It is packed with protein, healthy fats, veggies and contains no added salt or sugar. Its thick texture also makes it easy for your little one to scoop with their hands or practice using their spoons.
Here are some more baby led weaning tips.
Instructions
Besides prepping a couple of veggies, this recipe basically involves dumping, stirring, and walking away allowing the ingredients to mingle with one another. Sooo easy!
- Prep the onion, garlic (can use garlic powder), and sweet potatoes.
- In a pot, cook the onion and garlic and add the seasonings.
- Add the rest of the ingredients (minus the spinach) and bring to a boil. Cover the pot. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft
- Stir in spinach and simmer for several more minutes, allowing the stew to thicken a bit more
- That’s it!
Ingredient Substitutions
No sweet potatoes? any root veggies will do – potatoes, carrots, parsnips…
Greens? Traditionally, collard greens are used in this dish. But frozen spinach is what I have. Feel free to use whatever greens you have! If you don’t have any, that’s ok too. It will still be delicious without it!
No diced tomatoes? can use tomato sauce
No cauliflower? whatever veggies you have on hand will do
No peanut butter? the best substitution would be almond butter
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy on its own with some crusty bread to soak up all the juices or serve over rice, any cooked grains, pasta…will be good on a bed of greens too!
You may also like: Instant Pot Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Storage
Will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days or up to 3 months in the freezer. Check out this post on how to safely store leftovers.
More Easy One Pot Meals
- Korean beef and broccoli quinoa
- Instant Pot Korean chicken and potatoes
- Veggie-loaded meat sauce
- Vegetarian orzo primavera
- Kid Friendly One Pot Meals e-cookbook – contains 27 recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a rating below and let me know how you liked the recipe! Your feedback means so much to me!
Vegan African Peanut Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic, or garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 medium sweet potato (about a pound), diced into 1/2 inch thick pieces
- 1/2 medium (250g) head of cauliflower, chopped into florets, can use frozen (8 ounces)
- 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas or cannelini beans
- 1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable broth (can use 1/2 stock 1/2 water)
- 1/2 cup natural style peanut butter
- 2 cups spinach or kale, can use frozen
Instructions
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the seasonings and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients except for the spinach. Bring the pot to a boil, stirring until the peanut butter has dissolved into the liquid.
- Cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes and cauliflower are soft.
- Stir in the spinach. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes, uncovered. The stew will thicken more as it sits. Enjoy with any grains or pasta!
This is absolutely delicious! I haven’t given this to by children yet, but I made it for my lunches for the week and it was so worth it. This dish is warm and comforting.
One note for anyone who is using frozen spinach and it comes in a block like mine. The block took way too long to break down and things got more mushy than I think was intended, but the flavor was still great. I added some peanuts on top to offset this minor issue. So next time I’ll add my spinach block earlier in the simmer time.
Would you recommend this for a 10 month old? Would you recommend flattening the chickpeas to avoid a choking hazard?
Yes this will be great for that age! The chickpeas will get pretty soft but you can certainly smash them.