Black Bean & Sweet Potato Stew

Every cook has those moments when you walk into the kitchen and have a few random ingredients and think, "what am I going to do with this?"

This recipe was born from one of those moments.  

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite veggies, so I buy them whenever I can.  My husband eats them because he is kind and he knows I rather enjoy them.  I actually started getting them because I couldn't get my kids to eat regular old mashed potatoes (I know, weird kids), and I wanted another meal filler/vegetable.  It's just so convenient that sweet potatoes are a little better for you than regular spuds.  Or so I've heard.

The week this stew came into being, we had eaten sweet potatoes several times that week already--mashed, baked, french fries.  All great.  But (as the hubby pointed out) they pretty much all taste the same when served that way, and we were getting a little tired of it.

So I did an ingredient search online.  I had beans aplenty, ham and sweet potatoes.  I dare you to put those together all by yourself.  I actually found a recipe for a Brazilian Sweet Potato Stew, and then altered it slightly with what I had.  Who knew such odd ingredients could come together so nicely?  Brazil, apparently.

My ham was already cooked, but I added a touch of oil to the bottom of a large pot and browned it a little to get the juices flowing.

Then I added in some chopped onion and a serrano chili.

When those were nice and soft, I added in my sweet potatoes and some tomato soup.  What you need to do instead is add crushed or diced tomatoes--trust me.  I would have; I just didn't have any.

When the potatoes are cooked, (you want stabbable-with-a-fork, not mushy) add in the (cooked) beans.  We're really just heating the beans and adding a little flavor here.

Serve it over rice, or by itself.  I was thinking it would go really great with cornbread.  Do it without ham to make it vegetarian. Eat it.  Love it.


Black Bean & Sweet Potato Stew

2 T olive oil
1 cup ham, cooked and cubed
1 small serrano chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups (1 large can) diced or crushed tomatoes
2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 cups (1 small can) black beans
salt and pepper, to taste

Sautee ham, chili and onion in oil until ham is slightly browned and vegetables tender.  Add tomatoes (with juice) and sweet potatoes; cook until potatoes are fork-tender, but not mushy.  Add water if needed. Stir in beans and heat through.  Salt and pepper as desired.  Serve over rice, or by itself.