Smoky Vegan Sweet Potato Stew with Toasted Pepitas
Sweet, savory and satisfying, this vegan sweet potato stew is the perfect warming autumn meal. Pairs well with a crusty piece of bread.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp sunflower oil or vegetable oil
- 3 diced red onion
- 2 1/2 cups diced orange bell pepper
- 3 lbs sweet potatoes, diced
- 4 large carrots, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 4 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups frozen spinach, broken up into pieces
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chipped
- 10 slices toasted crusty sourdough bread
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
- Adjust heat to medium-low and add the sweet potatoes, carrots, garlic, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder and cumin.
- Cook 5 more minutes, adding 1-2 Tbsp water if needed. Stir in the vegetable broth, water and quinoa, cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat.
- Once boiling, adjust the heat so that the soup is simmering, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the quinoa is tender, about 20 minutes.
- Puree half the soup using an immersion blender, or transfer to a high speed blender. Add the spinach, stirring to split up clumps, and salt to taste.
- Let the soup cool 20 minutes. Top with pepitas and cilantro. Serve with a slice of crusty bread. Store in the fridge up to 7 days.
