The First Mess Cookbook
There is plenty of seasonal, plant-based soup and stew inspiration in my cookbook. You’ll also find vegan dinners, hearty salads and sides, and wholesome desserts.
We’re in that last stretch of Winter where I just want it to be OVER. The sight of a fresh snowfall is, yes, beautiful (like this coconut milk stew!). But I also know that we’re still in for at least another 6 weeks of cold and grey. Embracing the coziness is helpful and cooking new and exciting things is great, but ultimately I just keep imagining myself on a beach somewhere with a blended drink. The thought alone is helpful!
As far as I know, I won’t be getting to that beach anytime soon, so I’m cooking sunshine-y things in my little kitchen instead. This Creamy White Bean Soup with Kale, Rosemary & Lemon is a great example–bright and hearty at the same time.
For a quicker, still satiating and flavourful lentil soup with greens, I recommend checking out my Lemony Red Lentil Soup. Just like this recipe, it’s loaded with spices and finished with zingy citrus. Another dinner recipe with similar flavors is my Harissa Coconut Lentils with Kale & Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
This sweet potato and coconut milk stew is a glowing shade of orange with vibrant pops of green from kale and cilantro. We use lots of chili and ginger in this stew, along with a bunch of other spices. The flavour profile, spice combination, and recipe itself is inspired by Indian cuisine as well as Thai coconut milk-based curries. You get sweetness, spice, earthy vibes, creaminess, texture from the lentils, and a squeeze of lime rounds everything out.
If you count common spices as one component, this sweet potato coconut milk stew hits at around 10 ingredients. It’s very simple to make, definitely hearty, and accommodating for different dietary sensitivities. If a stew could have it all, this would be IT.
For my taste, it has just the right amount of richness from coconut milk–a real flavour bomb with a deep wholesome glow. Just the kinda thing I’m after lately. I love making it with homemade vegetable stock, but it’s not necessary.
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Ginger Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk Stew with Lentils and Kale
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
- ½-1 teaspoon dried chili flakes (I use Diaspora Co's ground Guntur Sannam Chillies)
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 ½ lbs (690 grams) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup brown lentils, picked over
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 13.5 oz (400 ml) can full fat coconut milk
- 1 small bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped (about 4 cups chopped kale)
- To garnish: chopped cilantro, extra chili flakes, lime wedges, nigella seeds
Notes
- Coconut milk is naturally sweet and so are sweet potatoes (obviously). I like to go in with a lot of dried chili to balance things out, but of course add as much as you feel comfortable with.
- Chard or mustard greens would also be delicious in place of the kale.
- You already know: I always recommend making your own vegetable stock. My go-to method here!
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the coconut oil to the pot and let it melt. Add the onions to the pot and stir. Saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until translucent and quite soft, about 5 minutes. Add the chili flakes, coriander, cumin, and turmeric. Saute spices until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic to the pot and cook for another minute. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the sweet potatoes to the pot and stir to coat in the spices. Add the lentils to the pot and stir once more. Season everything liberally with salt and pepper. Add the vegetable stock and stir, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Place the lid on top of the pot and bring to a boil.
- Once the stew is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and set the lid slightly askew on top of the pot so that there’s a couple inches available for steam to escape. Simmer until the sweet potatoes are almost falling apart and the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. The liquid should also be reduced by almost a third.
- Add the coconut milk and kale to the pot and stir. Place the lid on top and continue to simmer the stew until the kale is wilted and bright green, about 3-4 minutes. Season the sweet potato and coconut milk stew again with salt and pepper. Bring the stew back up to a strong simmer and check for seasoning. Adjust with more salt, pepper, chili etc. if necessary.
- Serve the sweet potato and coconut milk stew hot with chopped cilantro, extra chili flakes, lime wedges, and Nigella seeds (if using).
omg just made this and it was SO DELICIOUS, i added sliced avocado as a topper as well and ate it with garlic naan
Is there a best way to freeze this soup? May be a silly question but i’m new to cooking haha.
Also this soup is incredible I make it every year and it’s my go-to to bring to friends whenever they’re sad or whenever someone has a baby!! It’s that good!!
Hi McKenna,
I just transfer the cooled soup to plastic deli containers, leaving about 2 inches of space at the top. Then I label it with the date and freeze. It’s good to keep int he freezer for up to 6 months.
-L
A staple in my kitchen every soup season! So easy to make, yet full of flavor.
This looks incredible. Do you have any general guidance/modifications for making in a slow cooker? With two little kids and working full time, my time in front of a stove is super limited in this season of life. Thank you!
Hi Lauren,
Generally speaking, if a soup/stew requires 35-40 minutes of simmering time, that converts to a slow cooker at either 6-8 hours on LOW or 3-4 hours on HIGH. I would not include the kale for the full cooking time as it will get overcooked and soggy. Just add it with about 15-20 minutes left on the timer. I should also note that I have not tried this recipe in a slow cooker myself, so I can’t guarantee the same results as the stovetop version.
-L
Seriously loved it and so did my family! I took the advice of others who said double the spices, and it was fantastic! This one will definitely be in my winter rotation.
This is one of our favourite all time recipes. It is absolutely delicious! Everyone I’ve made it for asks for the recipe! can’t wait to have it on our regular rotation for the next 6 months. Thank you so much.
After making it twice, this very well might be my favorite soup. The only thing I do differently is triple the amount of spices, and rub about half of that and some olive oil onto a pound of boneless chicken thighs. After roasting and chopping that, I add it into the soup at the same time as the coconut milk and kale.
With a heel of crusty bread, a bowl of this soup is simply divine!
This soup was absolutely delicious! Pretty much followed the recipe except for subbing fresh spinach for the kale and fresh grated turmeric for the powdered. I also added a heaping tablespoon of almond butter towards the end. So much flavor and so healthy. I will be making this again and again.
*****
I made this last night and absolutely loved it! I am getting over being sick and this was hearty and comforting. The ginger perked it up and sprinkled with cilantro made it so fresh tasting. Thanks!
This is a hit with everyone I make it for and is on regular rotation at our house! It is wonderful as written or you can mix it up my adding extra veggies and varying the spice level. Today, I added some mushrooms while cooking and topped my bowl with some raw chopped cabbage to add a little contrasting crunch.
This soup is now my life. Wow. I should have doubled the recipe. There is now way I get tired of this.
Forgot the rating! Of course, 5 stars :)
Having made this numerous times and loved every one of them, I decided to sub parsnips for sweet potato because I had a glut from the garden. Peas went in instead of kale because it’s what I had on hand. Just as scrumptious as the original and I’m sure the recipe could handle many different substitutions. Delicious. Well done
The soup was phenomenal! Definitely a favorite now, I like to double the spices except for the pepper and sub chicken bone broth but it tastes amazing with vegetables stock as well! I’ve been meaning to try it with butternut squash out of curiosity!
YUMMY! Glad I doubled it! I’m not veg so I added chicken and used chicken bone broth. Added extra ginger and a bag of frozen peas. Garnished with cilantro, green onions, and lime juice. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi, I love this recipe and would like to freeze a batch to take camping. Do you think the coconut milk in the soup would freeze ok or will it split?
The coconut milk might separate a bit, but upon reheating and stirring, you are good to go! I freeze this recipe all the time and it’s great. Enjoy and have fun camping!
-L
Amazing recipe thank you!
Wow. This is one of the most comforting, delicious soups I’ve ever had. I joked to my husband about making it around Halloween time and putting it in thermos’ to sip on as we trick or treat with our son. I could drink this broth like a cup of coffee in the morning I mean it’s DELICIOUS!! Absolutely making this time and time again. Thank you so much for this recipe and an extra thank you for NOT including nutritional info for all those in ED recovery! Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Delicious! Will def make again.
So good! I didn’t have sweet potato, so added 1 small butternut squash and 2 large carrots. Doubled the spices (except for chili flakes) just out of preference. Delicious!
Squash and carrots would be so good in this! Thanks for your review Carolyn :)
-L
This soup was absolutely delicious! I will definitely make it again. I made it exactly as per the recipe and wouldn’t change a thing.
Second time making this recipe and it’s definitely becoming a staple in our household. Very flavourful, comforting and healthy. We like to add cremini mushrooms cut in chunks and amp up the spice level. Lime wedges + cilantro are a definite must-have to pull everything together.
I love that you add mushrooms! That sounds so delicious. Thanks for this comment and review Lolo :)
-L
We made this with red lentils and it was superb! I’m not a huge kale fan so I’m going to try it with another green (spinach?) and use a cup of red lentils (they’re tiny) next time. I loved the sweet potatoes and red lentil combination! I think it would be great without the spice of the chilies or the fresh ginger too and plan to try it.
3/15/2024 We had quite a downpour today & this recipe was wonderful with a loaf of crusty sourdough. We LOVED the flavor & how easy it came together. I will use 1 cup of lentils next time. Thank You!
This soup is absolutely wonderful, it has so much flavour. I’ve made it 4 times in a month, it will be a main staple in our house. thanks so much for this tasty dish.
Delicious and very filling!
Hi, this soup is really yummy. But do you have the nutritional information for it?
oops, meant to give the receipt 5 stars!
I just made this stew for dinner and it was out of this world! So flavorful. Even my husband liked it, and he is a meat and potatoes kinda guy. Thank you for the terrific recipe.
meant to give the receipt 5 stars!
My husband rated this recipe a “10.” That’s a first for him. Even without using coconut oil, it was delicious. We loved it & plan on making this often. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi and thank you! I’m so excited to make this tomorrow at my house plenum. I’m curious, what kind of bread did you use in the picture?
Is there a good substitute for the lentils? I am wanting to try this, but I have a legume allergy.
Hi Kirsten,
I would opt for white basmati rice as a replacement here! Pearl barley or pearled farro might also be a nice option.
-L
Hi Laura,
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I had a slightly different version served cold at a party recently and have been wanting to make it. Definitely will soon!
I noticed in your ingredients you mentioned chili flakes but the particular brand you have listed is ground chili powder. Does flakes versus ground powder make any difference in the flavor or how it’s absorbed?
Thanks!
Both flakes and powder will work great here! You’re just looking to add a bit of heat to balance the other flavors :)
-L
I really enjoyed this. I needed a soup for a family member who just had oral surgery and can’t chew so I used your soup base because it was more interesting and had higher fat content than most (since he isn’t eating much) and left out the lentils and kale. My only complaint was that the coconut milk (I added most but not all of the can) muddled some of the great flavor that was built before adding it. To make up for it I ended up adding a bunch more spice and simmering it longer, which worked well.
I’ve been making this one for years now and it is one of my absolute favorites! In the fall, as the weather begins to change, and the temperature begins to drop, I get excited to be able to make this once again. Thank you!
I made this last night, had lentils and kale in the freezer , and upped the ginger. Really delicious! Can’t wait for the leftovers (good breakfast, right!?) This is going into the rotation!
Delicious! My 27 year old son asked for this meal for his birthday dinner.
Could French lentils work? Or are they too dense/compact? Dying to try… ✨✨
French lentils will be fine! They might take a bit longer to cook and will stay firmer in the stew.
-L
I’ve made this TWICE with the French lentils. UH-MAZING! Thank you!
This person has stolen your image and applied it to their second-rate recipe: https://plantbasedandveganism.com/vegan-gingered-sweet-potato-and-coconut-milk-stew-1002ak. It seems like the Facebook page they are posting on is full of stolen images and the recipes are probably stolen too. The Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/pbveganrecipes. Just letting you know because yours looks like a great recipe and it’s not fair for people to diminish your hard work by stealing your images.
I love this soup….in the morning, it gets me going…in the afternoon, it keeps me going,…
In the evening it helps me rest.
It has so much flavor, it’s filling but doesn’t weigh me down.
This soup is sooooo goood! I had some cubed butternut squash and spinach in the fridge, so when I went looking for a soup recipe, I saw yours and just went for it. What a delicious meal! Squash is an easy sub for sweet potatoes and it all worked out beautifully! Thanks for such a lovely recipe!
Made this last night and it was amazing! I doubled all the spices and added a few dashes of cinnamon. Brought some to a coworker today and she was asking for the recipe by the 3rd bite!
i’m making this tonight for my boyfriend who eats vegetarian/vegan with me begrugingly (“can’t i put chicken or pork or steak on this?”) i just got back from grenada and have fresh tumeric to use. so excited! stay tuned for feedback :)
DELICIOUS! Can you please add the nutritional/calorie info? Thank you!
I added a couple dashes of cinnamon per another reviewer’s recommendation and used an immersion blender at the end to blend it up a little…this is an incredible stew. A new winter go-to!
So comforting and easy to make (this coming from someone who is just getting into cooking). This is one of my go-tos in the winter. So delicious!
Followed instructions fully and it was delicious and satisfying!