There’s nothing quite like stew on a chilly fall night. It warms and comforts you, fills your belly, and gives you the vitamins you need to fight off colds. Really — what’s NOT to love about stew?

This hearty West African peanut stew is packed full of vitamins and protein, since it contains peanut butter, collard greens, sweet potatoes, garlic, and other nutritious ingredients. On top of that, it’s delicious! Try it, we feel confident you’ll agree.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 medium-sized sweet potato
1 medium-sized red onion
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup peanut butter (natural, please! No sugar!)
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 bunch fresh collard greens
dash of sea salt

OPTIONAL GARNISHES

cooked brown rice
chopped peanuts
chopped cilantro
drizzle of sriracha

STOVE-TOP INSTRUCTIONS

Grate fresh ginger. Chop onion into small chunks and mince the garlic. Place ginger, onion, and garlic into a large soup pan. Place the pan on stovetop and cover the bottom with the olive oil. Fry the mixture at medium setting for about 2-3 minutes until the onions become translucent. You’ll love the aroma! Chop the sweet potato into 1/2 pieces and add them to the pan. Sprinkle in the cumin and red pepper flakes.

Continue frying for approximately 5 minutes. Do not burn! Add more olive oil if necessary. Add the tomato paste, sea salt, vegetable broth, and peanut butter, and stir everything together until thoroughly combined. Turn the heat up and allow mixture to boil. Then turn the heat down again and cover the pot.

Let the mixture simmer for 20-25 minutes until the sweet potato chunks soften. Meanwhile, remove the ribs from the collard green leaves and cut the leaves into strips. Add to the broth and continue simmering for approximately 5 more minutes. Finally, take a wooden spoon or a spatula and press the sweet potato pieces against the inside of the pot, allowing them to turn into pulp and fall back into the broth. This will add thickness to your stew.

INSTANT POT INSTRUCTIONS

Follow stove-top instructions, only use the saute function on your Instant Pot until the ginger, onion, and garlic are done (onions become translucent), then add the chopped sweet potato, cumin, and red pepper flakes and saute for another 4-5 minutes.

While this is sauteing, remove the ribs from the collard green leaves and cut the leaves into strips.

When the sauteing is done, turn the Instant Pot off, add the collard green strips, tomato paste, sea salt, broth, and peanut butter, and cook on manual (high pressure) for 10 minutes. Let natural release

WHEN SOUP or STEW IS COOKED:

Serve with a scoop of cooked brown rice, some chopped peanuts, a dash of sriracha, and/or chopped cilantro. You can add more sea salt if necessary. Divine! This dish serves 4-6 guests, depending upon how hungry they are. Cover any leftovers and keep them in your refrigerator. Your stew will taste even better tomorrow. Stay warm, and happy autumn!