Smoky Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew
Dried lentils, dehydrated sweet potato, and smoked paprika. A long simmer that pays back in bulk.
- calories
- 540
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 108
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 30 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 700 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- Winter / snow
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Brown lentils | 3/4 cup | split red lentils cook in half the time if fuel is tight |
|---|---|---|
| Dehydrated sweet potato dice | 3/4 cup | |
| Dried tomato powder or flakes | 1/4 cup | stands in for the can of diced tomatoes |
| Dried onion and celery flakes | 3 tbsp total | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Smoked paprika | 2 tsp | |
| Dried oregano | 2 tsp | |
| Vegetable bouillon | 2 cubes | |
| Dried spinach flakes | 1/2 cup | packed loose, it compresses to nothing |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Red wine vinegar | 1 tbsp | small leakproof vial, or swap a packet of lemon juice |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste |
Method
- Bring 700 ml of water to a boil. Add the lentils, sweet potato, onion and celery flakes, and the bouillon.
- Simmer covered on the lowest flame that holds a bubble. Twenty-five minutes for brown lentils, twelve for red. Stir every few minutes so the bottom does not catch.
- When the lentils give under a spoon, stir in the tomato powder, smoked paprika, oregano, and garlic powder. Two more minutes.
- Kill the heat. Add the spinach flakes and the olive oil, cover, and wait three minutes for the greens to come back.
- Stir in the vinegar last. Salt and pepper to finish.
The home version of this is a 40-minute pot of stew built on fresh onion, celery, sweet potatoes, and a can of tomatoes. None of that travels. Dehydrated sweet potato dice rehydrate in the same time the lentils need, dried onion and celery carry the aromatics, and tomato powder does what the can did at a fraction of the weight. Chicken broth became bouillon so the recipe stays vegan.
Two things are worth not skipping. The vinegar goes in off the heat, at the end: it sharpens a pot that otherwise tastes flat and brown, and cooking it drives that off. The oil is not optional either. Lentils and sweet potato are almost fat-free, and without it this is a large volume of food that does not sit like dinner.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one bag except the spinach, which needs its own so it does not get crushed into dust. Oil and vinegar ride in separate bottles, upright, inside a ziploc.
Variations
- A foil packet of chicken or a scoop of TVP pushes protein past 30 g.
- Chipotle powder in place of half the smoked paprika if you want heat with the smoke.
- Instant mashed potato flakes thicken it fast if you overshoot the water.
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/smoky-sweet-potato-lentil-and-spinach-stew