This chickpea, spinach and sweet-potato stew is a soothing, African-inspired, gluten-free and vegan dish that is oh so delicious and comforting served with plain white rice! Seasoned with spices and a rich tomato broth that is made creamy with peanut butter, it’s oozing with goodness and you won’t even notice there’s no meat in this dish. I took this dish to a pot-luck and made it for parties at home and each time, guests loved it and asked for the recipe.

This recipe has instructions for making this on the stove, a slow cooker or the Instant Pot.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 4 hours Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes  Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 2 small yellow onions, diced
• 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/3 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky but make sure it’s natural and no sugar added)
• 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (alternatively, soak 3/4 cup chickpeas overnight and pressure cook for 15 minutes)
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 cups spinach, chopped (alternatively, collard greens or kale also work well)
• salt, optional and as desired
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts (for garnish)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (for garnish)
• 3 cups cooked basmati rice (optional side)

Method:

• Slow cooker:
  • Add all ingredients to slow cooker except for spinach, red pepper, cilantro, peanuts and rice. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours
  • When ready, stir in spinach and red pepper and cover
  • Serve in a bowl with rice and top each bowl with peanuts and cilantro
• Instant Pot:
  • Add all ingredients to Instant Pot except for spinach, red pepper, cilantro, peanuts and rice
  • Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes and then do a quick release of the pressure
  • Remove lid, and stir in red pepper and spinach
  • Serve in a bowl with rice and top each bowl with peanuts and cilantro
• Stove top:
  • Heat the olive oil in a large pot
  • Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or or until the onion becomes soft and translucent
  • While the onion, ginger, and garlic are sautéing, peel and dice the sweet potato into 1/2-inch cubes. Add the sweet potato cubes, curry powder, red chili powder, and cumin powder to the pot and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes
  • Add the crushed tomato, peanut butter, chick peas, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir until the peanut butter and tomato paste have mostly dissolved into the broth. Place a lid on the pot and turn the heat down to medium-low and allow it to simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very soft
  • While the sauce is simmering, wash and then cut the spinach into 2 inch wide strips
  • Once the sauce has simmered for 15-20 minutes and the sweet potatoes are very soft, stir in the spinach and red pepper
  • Finally, taste the sauce and add salt, if desired
  • Serve in a bowl with rice and top each bowl with peanuts and cilantro