Vegan Sweet Potato Lentil Stew
Diet Category: Vegan • Vegetarian • Plant-Based • Dairy-Free • Gluten-Free* • High-Fibre • Whole-Food Plant-Based
*Use certified gluten-free vegetable stock if required.
Introduction
This comforting Vegan Sweet Potato Lentil Stew is a hearty, nourishing plant-based meal made with tender sweet potatoes, protein-rich lentils, tomatoes and fresh spinach. Flavoured with garlic and smoked paprika, it's an easy one-pot recipe that's perfect for healthy weeknight dinners, meal prep or cosy colder days.
Sweet potatoes add natural sweetness and a creamy, satisfying texture, while lentils provide plant-based protein and plenty of fibre. Tomatoes create a rich savoury base, and fresh spinach adds leafy greens without overpowering the other flavours. Smoked paprika brings warmth and depth, transforming a handful of simple ingredients into a flavourful vegan stew.
Naturally vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free, this easy sweet potato and lentil stew is a delicious way to include more legumes, vegetables and whole plant foods in your everyday diet.
Benefits of the Main Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are particularly rich in beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. They also provide fibre, potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6. Their naturally sweet flavour pairs beautifully with earthy lentils and smoky paprika.
Lentils
Lentils are an excellent ingredient for vegetarian and vegan meals because they provide both plant-based protein and dietary fibre. They're also a valuable source of folate, iron, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus, helping make this simple vegetable stew more nutritionally substantial and satisfying.
Tomatoes & Tomato Paste
Tomatoes provide vitamin C, potassium and carotenoid antioxidants, particularly lycopene. Tomato paste adds concentrated tomato flavour and is also a particularly concentrated source of lycopene.
Baby Spinach
Spinach is a nutrient-dense leafy green providing folate, vitamin K, vitamin C and vitamin A precursors. It also contains plant-based iron and magnesium. Stirring spinach into the stew towards the end of cooking is an easy way to add leafy greens to a warming meal.
Onions
Onions provide natural sweetness and depth of flavour as they cook. They also contain fibre, vitamin C and naturally occurring plant compounds, including flavonoids such as quercetin.
Garlic
Garlic adds plenty of savoury flavour while providing naturally occurring sulfur-containing compounds. Using aromatic ingredients such as garlic is also a simple way to build flavour in plant-based cooking without relying on large amounts of salt or fat.
Smoked Paprika
Smoked paprika gives the stew its distinctive warm, smoky flavour and rich colour. Made from dried and smoked peppers, paprika also contains naturally occurring carotenoid plant compounds.
Vegetable Stock
Vegetable stock creates a flavourful base and helps bring the sweet potatoes, lentils and tomatoes together. Choosing a lower-sodium vegetable stock is a simple option for anyone looking to moderate their salt intake.