Harvest Sweet Potato Stew with Fresh Greens & Corn

This lively sweet potato stew features hardy greens, fresh corn, summer squash, and tomatoes. It’s a perfect way to showcase early fall produce. Though these ingredients are generally available all year around, it’s best to make when the last of local summer corn intersects with the first autumnal cravings for sweet potatoes.

Make this stew as mild or spicy as you’d like with dried red pepper flakes or sriracha — or let everyone season it to their own taste by passing around either or both of these ingredients.

Use your favorite greens: Though this stew works equally well with any of the hardy greens — kale, chard, or collards — my favorite for this stew are the latter. 

In praise of collard greens

Collards may not get as much attention as kale, but they should be on your radar as a nourishing leafy green to enjoy regularly. Cut into narrow ribbons and briefly stir-fried or braised, this leafy green is a standout its mild, sweet flavor. 

The coolest way to cook collard greens (in my opinion) is to roll up the leaves, slice them very thinly, and stir-fry, sauté, or braise until just tender-crisp, retaining their vivid color and sweetness. Learn lots more about collard greens, plus a step-by-step for prepping, in this site’s Guide to Collard Greens.

Recipe adapted from Wild About Greens by Nava Atlas. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com.

• See this great roundup of delectable vegan sweet potato recipes.
• Explore dozens of fresh corn recipes for summer and fall.
• Here are more Globally-Inspired Vegan Stews for Fall & Winter Meals.

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Yield: 6 to 8

Sweet Potato and Collard Greens Stew with Fresh Corn & Tomatoes

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This lively stew of sweet potatoes and greens, embellished with fresh corn and tomatoes, is a perfect way to showcase late summer/early fall produce. 

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium-large red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 32-ounce carton vegetable broth
• 10 to 12 ounces hardy greens (collard greens, kale, or green chard)
• 2 cups fresh corn kernels (from 3 medium ears)
• 1 medium yellow summer squash, diced
• 2 cups diced ripe tomatoes or 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons all-purposed seasoning blend (like Mrs. Dash)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more, to taste
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley, to taste
• Dried hot red pepper flakes or sriracha, to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until both are golden.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and broth. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, cut the greens away from the stems. Stack several leaves at a time, roll up snugly from the narrow end closest to you, then cut them into thin strips. Chop the strips in a few places to shorten them. Give them a good rinse in a colander. Chard stems may be thinly sliced and used; discard kale and collard stems.
4. Once the the sweet potatoes are nearly tender, stir in the greens, corn, squash, tomatoes, and cumin. Continue to simmer until the greens and corn are just tender, about 10 minutes. Mash some of the sweet potato dice with the back of a wooden spoon to thicken the base. 
5. Stir in the cilantro and add just enough red pepper to give the stew a subtle heat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve at once, or, if time allows, let the stew stand off the heat for an hour or two. Heat through before serving.

Here are more delicious vegan recipes featuring collard greens.

If you like this harvest stew, you might also enjoy …

Kale and Sweet Potato Stew with Yellow Squash

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