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Smoky Green Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew with Rice and Kale

Tinned green lentils and sweet potato simmered with smoked paprika and cumin, with kale stirred through and served with rice. A filling vegan dinner with 21g of protein and 17g of fibre, ready in 30 minutes.

Dinner

30

Serves 2

A wooden-toned bowl of smoky green lentils with chunks of orange sweet potato beside a mound of rice, topped with fresh curly kale, with more bowls and kale behind

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil
  • 1 medium onion (about 80g/3oz), chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika and 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 200g/7oz sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1.5cm/⅝in cubes
  • 1 tbsp (15g) tomato purée (paste)
  • 300ml/1¼ cups vegetable stock, labelled gluten-free if you need it (check the label for celery and milk)
  • 2 x 400g/14oz tins green lentils in water, drained and rinsed (about 480g/1lb 1oz drained)
  • 60g/2oz curly kale, tough stalks removed, leaves torn, plus a few small sprigs to serve
  • 2 tsp (10ml) lemon juice
  • Half a 250g/9oz pouch of cooked brown basmati rice (125g/4½oz), plus 1 tbsp (15ml) water
  • A pinch of salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, paprika and cumin and stir for 1 minute.
  2. Add the sweet potato, tomato purée and stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the sweet potato is just tender when pierced with a knife.
  3. Stir in the lentils and kale and simmer uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes, until the kale has wilted and the stew has thickened slightly; add a splash of water if it gets too thick. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Meanwhile, tip half the rice into a microwaveable bowl, sprinkle with the 1 tbsp water, cover and microwave for about 1 minute, until steaming hot. Seal the rest of the pouch, keep it in the fridge and use it within 24 hours.
  5. Divide the rice and stew between two bowls and top with the kale sprigs. The stew keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezes for up to 3 months.

Why it works

A bowl gives you about 21g of protein and an impressive 17g of fibre for 491 calories, mostly from the lentils. That is over half of the 30g of fibre a day recommended for adults in the UK.

Why tinned lentils. Tinned green lentils are already cooked, so they only need heating through, which is what makes this a 30-minute dinner. Rinsing them removes most of the salty liquid from the tin.

Lemon with lentils. Lentils contain iron, but in a form the body absorbs less well than the iron in meat. Vitamin C helps, and here most of it comes from the kale, with a little from the lemon juice.

Not tagged for blood sugar. With 68g of carbohydrate from the lentils, sweet potato and rice, this bowl is above our 55g limit for the blood sugar tag, even though its fibre and protein slow how quickly it is absorbed. Leave out the rice for a lighter bowl with about 50g of carbohydrate.

Free from gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, peanuts, soya and sesame as written; check the stock label for gluten, celery and milk. For another sweet potato and lentil dish, try the lentil shepherd's pie with sweet potato mash.