Make-Ahead Vegetarian Moroccan Stew

This delicious, healthy North African-inspired stew is a family favorite, served with warm bread or even over couscous. You can make the entire stew ahead of time, let it cool, and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for several months. You can also chop the veggies and mix the spices ahead of time, freeze them, and assemble it with the canned ingredients the day you wish to cook it for a wonderful exotic meal in just 30 minutes.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 543 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 4 large carrots, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• ⅛ teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• ½ cup chopped dried apricots
• 1 tablespoon water (Optional)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (Optional)
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 2 cups finely shredded kale
• 4 (14 ounce) cans organic vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Combine cinnamon, cumin, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, and curry powder in a large bowl.

Step 2

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion in the butter until soft and just beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in kale and spice mixture; cook until kale begins to wilt and spices are fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Step 3

Pour the vegetable broth into the pot. Stir garbanzo beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, lentils, apricots, and honey, into the broth; bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until vegetables and lentils are cooked and tender, about 30 minutes. Season stew with black pepper.

Step 4

Dissolve cornstarch in water; stir into stew and simmer thickened, about 5 minutes.