Sweet Potato Black Bean & Kale Stew
Level
Easy
Time
50 min
Serves
8
Published October 25 2026Â by Dr. Stephanie Gray, DC
This post may contain affiliate links.
This perfect fall stew is a one pot recipe with a handful of pantry staples, that’s warm, grounding and made from REAL FOOD.
Sweet potato softens into the broth, black beans add heartiness and kale stays just tender enough to keep things fresh. It comes together in about 30 minutes- and it’s even better the next day. Leftovers keep well in the fridge all week for quick and easy go -to lunches.
Top with avocado, a squeeze of lime or fresh cilantro.
Try it, it’s good!
Naturally gluten free, grain free, dairy free, vegan/plant-based.
If you like soup, try my Lemony Lentil Soup, or my amazing Ridiculously Quick and Easy Tomato SoupÂ
Here’s a list of some more soups:
Anti-inflammatory Cabbage Soup
Sheet Pan Butternut Squash Soup
Broccoli Soup with Curry & Kale
 Why make your own broth?Â
I always make my own broth for soups. If I don’t have broth on hand, I use water (sometimes I will add a bay leaf and a little sea salt). Nobody can tell the difference. It’s cheaper and better for your health to make your own broth or use water.Â
- Commercial broth are usually full of unhealthy ingredients. Keep reading.
- Commercial broths often have MSG, hidden MSG (yeast extract), sodium, sugar, gluten and pro-inflammatory seed oils.Â
- Here’s an example: Campbell’s Ready to Use Chicken Broth promotes all “natural ingredients” on their label. Yet the ingredient label reads: yeast extract (yeast extract is made in a lab, not found in nature, sugar (a highly refined substance) and canola or soybean oil (which are both highly refined, pro-inflammatory seed oils). Common ingredients? Yes. But far from “natural” in my opinion.Â
- Commercial broths are often very high in sodium. One cup of Campbell’s chicken noodle soup has 1780 mg of sodium. One cup is a pretty small serving. There’s no way one cup of soup is filling me up! If you weren’t aware, the top limit of sodium for people over the age of 14 is 2300 mg /day. So one tiny cup of canned soup gets you pretty close to that limit. Too much dietary sodium is a problem because it causes your body to retain fluid, which can drive up blood pressure.
- Commercial broths also often contain hidden gluten (barley malt extract).Â
- Homemade broth is super easy and very inexpensive to make at home.Â
How to Store Leftover Stew
Store leftovers in a glass container with a sealable lid. Keep in refrigerator for up to 7 days. Reheat in microwave.
This stew freezes well.
Sweet Potato Black Bean & Kale Stew
Equipment
-
1 soup pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion- diced
- 3 cloves garlic- minced
- 1 medium sweet potato- peel and cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 796 mL diced tomatoes- drained
- 540 mL canned black beans- drained and rinsed
- 480 mL water or broth
- 2 cups kale- deribbed and roughly chopped
Instructions
-
In a large pot over medium heat, cook 1 medium onion, diced with a splash of olive oil or water until soft and translucent. About 5 minutes.
-
Stir in garlic, chili powder, cumin and sea salt. Cook until fragrant. About 1 minute.
-
Add sweet potato, diced tomatoes, broth/water. Bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer, covered until the sweet potato is fork-tender. About 20 minutes.
-
Stir in black beans and kale. Simmer until kale is tender and everything is heated through. About 5 minutes.
-
Serve hot.
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Dr. Stephanie.
A doctor of chiropractic, with a special interest in nutrition. Food should be made in a kitchen not a factory. I believe in eating whole foods, keeping processed foods to a minimum. It is my goal to show you that eating healthy and cooking at home can be simple and very rewarding! All of my recipes are gluten-free.
