Name: Butter Bean Stew with Kale and Sweet Potato
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 large white onion (200g) (cut in half widthways then sliced); 1 stalk of celery (thinly sliced); 2 large carrots (260g) (peeled then sliced); 2 medium sweet potatoes (465Gg) (peeled then cut into medium cubes ); 2 cloves of garlic (minced); 1/4 tsp dried red chilli flakes; 1/2 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1/4 tsp cinnamon; 2 400g cans of chopped/ tomatoes ( 2x 14.5oz cans US); 1/2 cup of vegetable stock (100ml) (made with one teaspoon of vegan, gluten-free vegetable bouillon and 100ml/1/2 cup of boiling water.); 2 cans butter beans/large lima beans (400g cans drained weight 240g) (16oz cooked beans US); 1 tbsp maple syrup; 1 1/2 cups of kale (100g) (roughly chopped, woody stems removed.); 4 or 5 sprigs of fresh thyme; 2 dried bay leaves; 1/4 tsp sea salt; A squeeze of lemon; 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper; flat-leaf parsley for serving (chopped)

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Spiced butter bean stew with kale and sweet potato is a rich and warming vegan stew. Tasty, filling and nutritious, this is serious vegan comfort food.

This butter bean stew is warming, filling and easy to make. A one-pot vegan stew that will keep you cosy and warm. Packed with butter beans and sweet potatoes this is a lovely nutritious, tasty stew that the whole family will love. It’s mildly spiced so the kids can enjoy it too. It’s great for a tasty warming weeknight dinner, perfect on its own or you can add some good crusty bread if you are particularly hungry.

How to Make Butter Bean Stew

Start by cooking the onion and celery. Once they are transluecent add the garlic and spices, these need to cook for just a minute. Next, add the sweet potato and carrots to the pan.
Now add the chopped tomatoes. I always add a little water to the empty cans, give it a swirl to catch any tomatoes or juices left in the can, then add that to the pan. About a 1/4 cup of water into each can should do the trick. Stir in the vegetable stock then add the thyme and bay leaves. You need to cover the pan now and leave it to simmer for about 20 minutes.
Check the sweet potatoes, they should be almost cooked now, if not give them another five minutes. If they are done add the beans and stir them into the stew.
Add the kale to the stew now, pop the lid back on for another 5 minutes. This will steam the kale and heat up those butter beans. After five minutes take off the lid and stir in the kale.

Tips for Making The Best Butter Bean Stew:

Use a pan or pot with a tight-fitting lid. I use a large sautè pan to make this but you can use a dutch oven too, just make sure it’s ok to use in the hob.
Stir the stew often so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan or worse burn!
Try and chop the sweet potatoes into roughly the same size. That way they will all cook at the same time, larger chunks will take longer to cook, smaller chunks will turn to mush if overcooked.
Remove any woody stems from the kale, you want tender kale not tough woody bits in your stew.

Making Ahead and Storing

You can make this butter bean stew a day or two in advance. In fact, it tastes even better the day after. Just keep covered in the fridge. Any leftover stew can be kept in the fridge or you can freeze it. Leave it to cool then transfer it to suitable freezer containers. To defrost the stew, remove it from the freezer 24 hours before you want it and leave it to thaw in the fridge. You can reheat the stew on the hob, just make sure it is piping hot before you serve it.

Serving Butter Bean Stew

We like to have this stew on its own with just a sprinkling of chopped parsley. However, it is also very good with rice or some crusty bread.

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