Cooking tips:

Use a deep-sided skillet! 

As you’ll see from the cooking video, we maxed out the 12-inch skillet with 2-inch sides and only just had enough room to mix the ingredients. It’s best to use a large pot or 12-inch skillet with sides of around 3-4 inches. 

Peeling the Sweet potato is optional

You may not know this, but plenty of nutrients are hidden just under sweet potatoes’ skin, so peeling is optional. If you plan to keep the skins on, just be sure to give them a good scrub with a Veggie scrubbing brush to remove any dirt or grit, and then your sweet potatoes are good to go!

Take your time

This is a classic fall stew that always cooks better when you take your time. Sauteeing the veg down until they are almost a sauce is a great option, and giving the chickpeas a little extra time to cook and soften yields a great texture. 

Use fresh or frozen spinach:

For best results use fresh spinach, however, frozen spinach can also be used. If using frozen spinach, thaw it and then squeeze out any excess liquid before cooking it. 

Spice it up

You’ll notice the spice cumin is used in this dish. While you may not immediately associate cumin with Spanish cooking it’s integral and is one of the most used spices in Spain. Cumin adds warmth and nuttiness to any recipe and works perfectly when paired with chickpeas.

Healthy and Tasty Vegan Stew

The cooler weather is the perfect invitation to start prepping wholesome and filling vegan-friendly stews like this amazing sweet potato stew. It draws flavors and cooking techniques from the classic Spanish recipe Espinacas con garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas). 

We make Spinach and Chickpeas once a week during the cooler months, and with the abundance of sweet potatoes around the same time, it’s a natural addition to the weekly recipe roster.

Types of Sweet Potatoes – And Which is best to use

Orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (often labeled as yams in the U.S.): These are moist and sweeter, but they may become soft or mushy when cooked in stews. They add a rich, sweet flavor and creaminess to the dish, so they’re best for stews where you want that texture. We used this type of Sweet potato for this recipe. 

White or pale-fleshed sweet potatoes: These are firmer and less sweet. They hold their shape better, making them ideal for stews where you want the pieces of sweet potato to remain intact.

Purple sweet potatoes: These tend to be drier and firmer. They’re also a great option if you want something different with vibrant color and earthy flavor.

Tips For Choosing the Best Sweet Potato for Stews

When choosing the best sweet potatoes for stews, you want to pick ones that will hold their shape during cooking, have a good texture, and complement the flavors in the dish. 

• Choose sweet potatoes that are firm and heavy for their size. This indicates they have a high moisture content, which will help them cook well in stews.
• Avoid any sweet potatoes that are soft or spongy, which could signal spoilage.
• Look for smooth, unblemished skin without cuts, bruises, or soft spots. Damaged sweet potatoes can rot or cook unevenly, leading to mushy pieces in your stew.
• The skin should be tight and free of wrinkles, as wrinkling could indicate the potato is old or dehydrated.
• Medium-sized sweet potatoes are ideal. They’re easier to peel and cut, and they tend to cook more evenly. Very large ones can be more starchy and fibrous, while very small ones may be too tender and fall apart during cooking.

How to Prepare Sweet Potatoes

• Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable and grow underground. While most supermarket varieties will already be cleaned, it’s always best to rinse and inspect your sweet potatoes before cooking with them. 
• Use a veggie scrubbing brush to remove and dirt or grit from the skin. 
• Peeling is optional, and if you prefer, keep the skins on ( they are packed with nutrients). 
• Cube your sweet potato into pieces around 1-inch (2.5cm). They will cook faster and are easier to eat when bite-sized. 

Canned Chickpeas or Dried Chickpeas? 

There are advantages to using both types of chickpeas, however, for this recipe, we opted for a jar of prepared chickpeas. Canned or jarred chickpeas are great, they’re cheap, convenient, and require no extra prep or cooking before they can be used. 

Dried chickpeas on the other hand require some additional preparation before they can be used for cooking. DO NOT use dried chickpeas without preparing them first. 

If you’re using dried chickpeas, then allow some extra time to prepare the dried chickpeas. 

• First, soak the dried chickpeas in some clean fresh water overnight. The chickpeas will expand around twice their size so add around double the amount of water to chickpeas in a large bowl. 
• Next, drain them from the water and add them to a pan with some fresh water. 
• Cook them for around 2 hours for them to soften up. Alternatively, use a slow cooker or pressure cooker to prepare your chickpeas.

Nutrition Facts

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