January is dragging on and on and on, and as my cross country coach used to put it, "its beef stew season." However, being a vegetarian, I find myself never looking to consume beef. I was looking for a better alternative to bring about that same filling feeling that a hearty stew can create, especially on a cold winter day. So I set out to create a vegan stew to do just that. 

This recipe can do just that, and in being vegan it means that there are no meat or dairy products in the final recipe.  This is a stew that I encourage everyone to try, even if you are not a practicing vegan. It is healthy, simple, and couldn't be easier to prepare.

Vegan Sweet Potato and Spinach Stew

  • Prep Time:15 mins
  • Cook Time:20 mins
  • Total Time:35 mins
  • Servings:1
  • Medium

    Ingredients

  • 1 sweet potato
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1/2 cup carrots
  • 1/2 cup chickpeas
  • 1/2 onions
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
vegetable, soup, meat, parsley
Amanda Shulman

  • Step 1

    Prepare the vegetables by washing them all thoroughly, then cut the sweet potato into about 1-inch cubes and set aside.

    mango, sweet, Cut, diced, Chopped
    Sam Jesner

  • Step 2

    Take the two garlic cloves and mince them up and set them aside, then grab the onion peel and cut the onion into long crescent strips and set aside. Finally grab the carrots then cut them lengthwise and set them aside.

    onion, raw onion, onion cut, knife, cutting board
    Jocelyn Hsu

  • Step 3

    After the vegetables are prepared, heat a skillet to about medium heat with a little drizzle of olive oil and place in the onion strips. Cook them until they are translucent.

    meat, vegetable, saute
    Alex Frank

  • Step 4

    Then add the mushrooms and carrots. Then add the garlic and continue to stir and watch the mixture for about 5 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper right at the end.

    carrot, stir-fry, saute, tomato, meat, onion, pepper, vegetable, curry, vegetarian, tofu
    Julia Gilman

  • Step 5

    Grab a large pot and fill it with the vegetable broth then heat the stove to medium-high. Add the sweet potato, carrots, onions, mushrooms, peas, and chickpeas.

    soup, vegetable, meat, broth
    Jocelyn Hsu

  • Step 6

    Cook the stew on medium-high heat for 10 minutes, then add the spinach and cover the pot and cook on medium for another 5 minutes.

    pot, Camping, stove, gas lit stove, Fire, camp cooking
    Shelby Cohron

  • Step 7

    Once the stew is done cooking, pour into a bowl and top with nutritional yeast and enjoy!

    vegetable, soup, meat, parsley
    Amanda Shulman

If you are still grinding away on your healthy New Years Resolutions, this is a great example of a meal that is healthy and balanced enough to be added to your weekly lunches or dinners.