Spicy Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew With Chipotles
Updated November 9, 2015
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly toasted and ground
2 medium carrots, diced
1 ½ cups brown or green lentils, rinsed
6 cups water
2 medium-size sweet potatoes (aka yams, with dark orange flesh, 1 to 1 ¼ pounds), peeled and cut in large dice
1 to 2 chipotles in adobo, seeded and chopped (to taste)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (to taste)
Lime wedges for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)
28 grams carbs; 163 calories; 1 gram monosaturated fat; 2 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 616 milligrams sodium; 10 grams protein; 3 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it softens, about 5 minutes, and add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the garlic smells fragrant, about 30 seconds, and add the ground cumin seeds and carrots. Stir together for a minute, then add the lentils, water, sweet potatoes, chipotles, tomato paste, salt to taste and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 40 to 45 minutes, until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender and the broth fragrant. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the cilantro or parsley, simmer for another minute, and serve, passing lime wedges so diners can season their lentils with a squeeze of lime juice if desired.
Advance preparation: This will be good for 3 or 4 four days but it will thicken as the lentils will continue to swell. If you want to thin it out, add water or stock.
Private Notes
Comments
Very fragrant dish while under preparation. I used vegetable broth instead of water and steamed the carrots before adding them at the very end, hoping their texture would compliment the softer sweet potatoes - it worked! Delicious, too.
Two peppers added just the right amount of heat according to my husband and son. I used a colorful lentil medley and a couple splashes of plum vinegar at the end to brighten up the dish, which made it perfect.
I found this unbalanced. It sorely needed an umami component for richness and mouthfeel. Although it would make it non-vegetarian, the addition of some pork shoulder would help, as would replacing the water with chicken stock. Or maybe just some cheese, like chèvre.
I also found 4 cups of liquid sufficient and resulted in more of a stew rather than a soup.
Very comforting lentil stew! Subbed some roasted kabocha squash for sweet potatoes. Used a couple of chopped serrano peppers instead of chipotles in adobo. Thought that would add plenty of heat but could have added another pepper or two. I followed others’ suggestions and added a tsp of ginger, a couple of tsp’s of smoked paprika and some chopped kale at the end. Might cut the tomato paste down to 1 tbsp next time since the squash made it plenty sweet!
Next time I would add a third chipotle pepper. Used chicken broth instead of water and topped with sour cream at the table
has anyone tried to freeze this dish? It makes a ton :)