African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (2024)

Skip to content

  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • By Ingredients
    • By Season
    • For Events
    • For Families
    • Gluten Free
  • Books
  • Blog
  • About
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • By Ingredients
    • By Season
    • For Events
    • For Families
    • Gluten Free
  • Books
  • Blog
  • About

Fragrantly spiced butternut squash, lentil and peanut stew inspired by African dishes and creates the perfect warming dish, which is like the ultimate comfort in a bowl.

Jump to Recipe

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (2)

This stew hits all of my comfort food buttons – it’s rich, but sweet, with savoury notes, and has a creamy, nutty depth with a slightly spicy finish – you’ve got to try it!

My inspiration for making this dish comes from a recently discovered restaurant called Blue Nile and their incredible lentil dishes.

I have made and adapted this recipe several times, sometimes using sweet potato rather than butternut squash (which is just as good) and a variety of greens work well, too.

I particularly like kale, spinach or cabbage greens, but you can also use courgette if you have any left in the fridge. It’s a great dish to add a variety of different vegetables into, so you can easily hit your 10 a day or hide any from fussy family members.

I don’t think you need to serve the stew with anything as it’s so warming and satisfying, especially with the crunchy toppings of crushed peanuts and the zing of lime juice, however it would also be delicious with flatbreads and a salad on the side, or served with some boiled potatoes or rice.

Love Niki xxx

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (3)

Fragrantly spiced butternut squash, lentil and peanut stew inspired by African dishes and creates the perfect warming dish, which is like the ultimate comfort in a bowl.

Prep time: 10 minutes mins

Cook time: 30 minutes mins

5 from 3 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic grated
  • 4 tomatoes chopped
  • 1 red pepper chopped
  • 1 cup red lentils rinsed
  • 2 cups butternut squash chopped into small cubes
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 tbsp organic peanut butter
  • 1/2 pint bouillon vegetable stock
  • 1 cup mushrooms chopped
  • 1 cup green beans chopped
  • Himalayan Pink Salt
  • Black pepper
  • 2 cups seasonal greens your choice of kale, spinach, cabbage
  • Handful of coriander
  • 1 tsp chili flakes
  • 1/2 cup crushed peanuts
  • Juice 1/2 lime

Instructions

  • Add the onion and oil to a large saucepan and fry for 5 minutes until soft.

  • Grate in the garlic and stir until fully combined.

  • Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a 2-3 minutes before adding 3 cups of water, lentils, pepper and squash. Bring to the boil before reducing to a simmer.

  • Add in the stock and peanut butter and stir well to combine.

  • Then add the remaining vegetables. Simmer for 20 minutes.

  • Add the mushrooms and greens and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the greens wilt down then season well.

  • To finish, top with coriander, chilli, crushed peanuts and the lime juice.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

If you recreate this recipe, tag me on Instagram:@rebelrecipes or #rebelrecipes for a chance to be featured.

More Recipes with Butternut squash, Lentils or Peanuts

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (4)

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (5)

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (6)

The Ultimate Pumpkin Curry, With My Favourite Spices

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (7)

Crispy Tofu with a Sesame Coating and Peanut Salad

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (8)

Red Lentil Crepes with Charred Cabbage

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (9)

Creamy Coconut Dal with Tarka and Mini Flatbreads

Discuss this Recipe with Niki

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (10)

5 Responses

  1. It would be nice if you told us about the side dishes shown in the photos.

    Reply

    1. Hi Kimberley
      I served it with some hummus and quick coriander dip.
      Love, Niki x

      Reply

  2. I made this recipe about 3 weeks ago, exactly to the ingredients . Only difference was that I cooked the butternut squash & green beans separately & then added them to the rest when they were cooked al dente.

    Also I may have added a bit more chilli. It lasted 3 nights & we had it with brown rice.

    Delicious.

    Tonight I am going to cook it again, using sweet potato instead of butternut squash.

    Reply

    1. Love your tweaks, sounds delicious!
      My best
      Niki x

      Reply

Buy Me a Coffee

If you’ve enjoyed using my recipes, I’d love you to support my blog.

I’ll be cooking up a plateful of super-delicious vegan recipes here over the coming months.

To support my work, promote the vegan message far and wide, and of course help keep Dill in kittie food, you can buy me a coffee here.

Thank you, and much love, Niki xxx

(Payments via Ko-Fi are processed by Stripe, a global payments platform certified to the the most stringent level of certification available in the payments industry.)

Cookie Consent

Our website uses cookies to provide the necessary website functionality, improve your experience and analyse our traffic. By Clicking "Accept", you agree to our Privacy Policy and cookies usage. Not consenting or withdrawing consent may adversely affect certain features and functions.

FunctionalAlways active

The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.

Preferences

The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.

Statistics

The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.

Marketing

The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.

Manage optionsManage servicesManage vendorsRead more about these purposes

View preferences

{title}{title}{title}

Get my Free Top 5 Recipes using Herbs eBook...

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (11)

Privacy Policy

African Butternut Squash, Lentil & Peanut Stew | Rebel Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is peanut and squash stew made of? ›

The main ingredient is peanuts, but kale and butternut squash make this a delicious, hearty stew, along with vegetable broth, jalapenos, harissa paste, ginger, and some ground spices.

Where did peanut stew come from in West Africa? ›

Peanut stews are found across West Africa, with ancient roots in dishes made with native groundnuts before the peanut arrived from the New World in the 16th century. Maafe can trace its origins to the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali.

Why is it called African peanut stew? ›

This peanut stew has a similar flavor and ingredients profile, but it originated from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali. A huge reason for its popularity throughout Africa is due to the cultivation of groundnut -- or peanuts -- throughout the continent during the colonial period.

What is Nigerian stew made of? ›

First she places the beef inside a large pot filled with water, herbs, spices and fresh onions. Once that's cooked, she begins making the stew. A cup of oil is poured into a hot pot, along with more onions, basil, bouillon cubes and curry powder. Next, she adds the blended tomatoes, salt, and ground Cameroon peppers.

What are peanuts called in Africa? ›

In many parts of Africa, peanuts are usually known as groundnuts because the nut pods grow underground. Peanuts play an important nutritional role in many parts of Africa since they have good fats and contain 7 grams of protein which helps combat child malnutrition.

What are the foods eaten most commonly in West Africa? ›

A staple to families with cows or goats would include milk and curds and whey. To most West Africans, foods like yams, corn, cassava, rice, and groundnuts are indispensable in their diet.

What is the name of the African stew? ›

This 1 pot Maafe recipe (also known as African Peanut Stew) is incredibly easy to make, full of plant-based protein and absolutely delicious. If you like peanut butter, you'll love this hearty stew!

What is the traditional stew made of? ›

A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef, pork, venison, rabbit, lamb, poultry, sausages, and seafood.

What is peanut butter stew made of? ›

Cook the stew: Add the chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Add the chicken. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed.

What is peanut soup made of? ›

Peanut soup
West African peanut soup with fufu
Alternative namesGroundnut soup
Region or stateAfrican cuisine
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsPeanuts, onions, tomatoes, aubergine, okra, ashanti pepper, ginger, bay leaves, rosemary, peanut butter, water
3 more rows

What is stew made in? ›

A stew's meat or vegetables are barely covered with cooking liquid (usually water, broth or stock, oftentimes enhanced by wine or beer for additional flavor) and, during cooking, the liquid reduces to a gravy-like base that is sometimes thickened by flour, cornstarch or a roux.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 5784

Rating: 5 / 5 (60 voted)

Reviews: 91% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Clemencia Bogisich Ret

Birthday: 2001-07-17

Address: Suite 794 53887 Geri Spring, West Cristentown, KY 54855

Phone: +5934435460663

Job: Central Hospitality Director

Hobby: Yoga, Electronics, Rafting, Lockpicking, Inline skating, Puzzles, scrapbook

Introduction: My name is Clemencia Bogisich Ret, I am a super, outstanding, graceful, friendly, vast, comfortable, agreeable person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.