Coconut Curried Kale and Sweet Potato
Hearty braised and curried kale with sweet potato makes a delicious wintertime meal! This healthy dish is vegan, dairy free and gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
I’m finally back in Kansas City. I arrived home on Tuesday, to a house full of all the things I haven’t used in the past month. I almost hoped I’d greet the things like long-lost friends (oh hello, favorite knee-length boots!) but I really just sighed at the sight of those things, those burdens that I pack up and carry from place to place.
If you took away the blog-related cookbooks and photography props (code word for so many breakable plates and glasses), maybe it would be a more reasonable amount of stuff for one person. My closet is definitely overstuffed, however. The end of winter is nearing and I’m feeling some pressure to wear all of my cold weather apparel at least once before it goes. I have too much!
I think about minimalism a lot—how much I love the concept and how difficult it is to put into practice. I’m too attached to my things. I often find myself looking around my place and wondering, how much does one person really need? Is this a reasonable amount for one person?
I’ve watched my grandmothers downsize into smaller, more manageable living situations and I think about all of the care and time that went into filling their homes and the difficulties in downsizing. Some of that is inevitable, but I don’t want my life to be characterized by the getting and getting rid of things.
Today’s recipe comes from America’s Test Kitchen’s newest book, The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. I adore America’s Test Kitchen so I couldn’t say no to their new cookbook, which includes over 700 impeccably well-tested vegetarian recipes. Basically, any recipe you could think of to make is in this book. I’d even go so far as to say that if you’re going to own only one vegetarian cookbook, this is the book for you. I’m eyeing my heavy shelves of cookbooks now and owning only one cookbook is a lovely thought!
This recipe turned out to be more work than I bargained for, but it was absolutely worth the effort. That’s the beauty of America’s Test Kitchen recipes—they’ve been tested every which way, so the only trick, if you even want to call it that, is to trust their methods and carry them through. I deviated from the recipe by using sweet potato instead of butternut squash. In hindsight, I think butternut might be the better choice, although I do love the sweet potato version.
I was drawn to the recipe because it sounded very similar to an original recipe I attempted a couple of times in Austin that never turned out quite right. Those ATK cooks nailed it. It’s a stewy concoction that is loaded with greens (two bunches’ worth!), cooked down into hearty, comforting goodness. I never would have thought to add toasted pepitas, but they round out the dish perfectly. It’s not the prettiest of dishes, but trust me, it’s delicious!
The giveaway is now closed! Congratulations to Annie, the winner, whose go-to is a noodle bowl with tempeh! I have one copy of America’s Test Kitchen’s The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook to send to one lucky reader. To enter, leave one comment below and tell me about your go-to meatless recipe! Only one comment per person, please. I’ll randomly select a winner next Wednesday at midnight CST. Good luck!
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Coconut Curried Kale and Sweet Potato
Hearty braised and curried kale with sweet potato makes a delicious wintertime meal! This healthy dish is vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. Be sure to have your ingredients prepped before you start cooking. Recipe yields 6 generous servings—I also like it as a stew without the rice.
Ingredients
Rice
- 1 ½ cups brown basmati rice, rinsed well
- Salt, to taste
Braised kale and sweet potato
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine salt, divided, more to taste
- 2 pounds sweet potato (about 3 medium) or 1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced into ½-inch cubes
- 3 large garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1 large bunch of kale (about 8 ounces), stems removed and chopped
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 can (14 ounces) full-fat coconut milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- â…“ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes (optional), to taste
Instructions
- To cook the rice, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue simmering for 30 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to prevent overflow. Turn off the heat, drain the rice, and return the rice to the pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes or longer, until you’re ready to serve.
- Meanwhile, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sweet potato, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is bright orange (or until the butternut is just beginning to brown), about 8 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl for now.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pot and raise the heat to medium-high. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the kale, broth, all but ½ cup coconut milk, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Stir to combine.
- Cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the sweet potato mixture, cover, and continue to cook until the kale and sweet potato are tender, 10 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until they’re fragrant and making little popping noises, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- Once the kale and sweet potato are tender, uncover the pot and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 2 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the remaining coconut milk. Add the lime juice and season with salt, pepper and optional red pepper flakes, to taste. Divide rice into bowls, then top with kale mixture and a generous sprinkling of pepitas before serving. This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days (or freeze portions up to 6 months).
Notes
Recipe adapted from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen.
Recipe edits: In 2025, I tweaked this recipe to improve the overall flavor and texture. I increased the amount of broth, layered in more salt, reduced the amount of kale, and edited the recipe for clarity.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I just made a squash/chickpea/peanut soup that might just become my new go-to meatless recipe!
My go to meatless recipe for a quick, easy weeknight meal is to take greens i have on hand (kale, arugula, spinach, salad mix… anything!), roast rome root veggies, top the greens with the roasted veggies, cooked lentils and a homemade tahini balsamic vinegar dressing!!
I love making tacos/quesadillas with refried beans and veggies in place of meat!
Frittata! I always have eggs around, then I can just toss in any veggies I have lying around and end up with a delicious dinner
i make a mean veggie enchilada!
My go-to meatless recipe is a fried egg or chickpea and avocado sandwich
My go-to meal in winter is roasted vegetables and in summer I love zucchini noodles!
My go to meatless meal is pasta salad: tri-colored spiral pasta, kale, garbanzo beans, olives, tomatoes, onions, olive oil and vinegar. My family eats it up everytime. I love America’s Test Kitchen and watch their cooking shows online all the time.
My go-to meatless meal has become a church family favorite, especially at potlucks. It’s Chickpea Cauliflower Potato Curry with Chili Spiced Mango Brown Basmati Rice. A unique, hearty and flavorful combination. :)
Lovely idea. I’d probably sprinkle an extra load of coconut over the top as well. In my opinion, you can never have too much coconut!
I love to make anything with lentils and/or anything with sweet potatoes and black beans. So yummy!
falafel atop a bed of greens with thahini dressing and fresh tomatoes.
My go to meatless meal is any kind of grain bowl. Quinoa + roasted veggies + greens + olive oil, salt & pepper, and I’m a happy camper.
Trader Joes tofu with some type of grain and veggie. This looks delicious! Welcome home.
My vegan freezer staple is a lentil dal soup from a cookbook that I have had for over 15 years. It has cauliflower and zucchini and tomatoes slightly blended to a nice pureed consistency. So delicious.
My go to meal is a clean-out-the-fridge style veggie hash with a fried egg on top. A few pieces of toast are usually also required!
My go-to meatless recipe is either stir-fry with tempeh or tofu OR a big salad with roasted veggies and beans.
My go to recipe is a vegetation lasagna with spinach. Fun to make and easy to reheat for dinner all week!
I’m a minimalist when it comes to cooking, though I think this cookbook would be wonderful in helping me branch out. Every Sunday I roast a huge batch of whatever vegetable is in season and on sale, cook up some quinoa or barley and chop up cabbage and broccoli slaw. Mix it all together with some hot sauce and that’s pretty much my go-to lunch every day.
Your sweet potatoe bowl with green rice is my go to recipe. My boyfriend constantly requests this which is just crazy because first off he hates sweet potatoe and he has always been a meat eater. But he’s transitioning to a vegetarian and he amazes me everyday with his commitment.
soup! cauliflower soup, carrot soup, potato leek soup, curry butternut squash soup… anything blended full of veggies, but i generally seem to gravitate towards orange soups haha
I love anything with sweet potato but definitely a baked stuffed sweet potato is a great go to!
Thanks to you, I have tomorrow night’s go-to meal! This looks delicious. In general though, my go-to meal is what I just devoured for lunch at work: a bowl of brown or black rice, a steamed melange of whatever’s leftover in the fridge, topped with spicy peanut sauce (or guacamole). Yum yum yum.
Sesame-peanut soba noodles with baked tofu and chopped vegetables — a good combo is julienned carrots, bell peppers and cucumber.
Coconut lentil curry with cauliflower and homemade naan bread. Can’t be beat!!!
Greens and beans soup is my go-to when I have little food, am very tired, or just need something comforting! This always makes a delicious, satisfying meal, and can usually be made with whatever I have on hand: greens (spinach, kale, chard), beans (chickpeas, kidney beans, cannellini beans), carrots, fresh or canned tomato, aromatics, and vegetable broth. It’s best when served with grated parmesan cheese and seasoned with smoked paprika.
I am a great lover of lentils; and not just because I don’t have to remember to soak them! I make a loosely French lentil thing that involves green lentils, shallots, organic canned tomatoes, coconut oil and Herbes de Provence with many variations based on what’s in the fridge from sweet potatoes to eggplant. I cook the shallots in the coconut oil then basically put everything in a crockpot. Simple.
Peanut Butter Spaghetti – quick and super easy, with no fuss ingredients. :-)
Thanks for the Coconut Curried Kale and Sweet Potato recipe, sounds awesome Kate, pinned and will be done. :-)
I have so many! Refrigerator-clearing stir fried rice is definitely a go to. But I also make your sweet potato frittata nearly once a week… such an easy, complete meal in a pinch.
I always come back to refried black bean tacos, sometimes open face with an egg!
My husband makes the best beer cheese soup. He’s the vegetarian in the house, but I’ve been trying to learn more vegetarian recipes for him. Thanks for all the great recipes Kate!
My go-to recipe is a veggie stir fry with homemade sauce made with sesame oil and rice vinegar. It’s simple but so filling and satisfying.
I was vegan for a couple of years and while I’m no longer even vegetarian, my boyfriend and I recently resolved (not for the New Year, just as a result of an afternoon’s conversation) to get back to more mindful, less animal-based dining habits. We just got finished with a big move, so lately it’s been especially meaningful to have some quick, simple meals on hand that still fill us up and pack a nutritional punch strong enough to stand up to all the packing and hauling! I find a big bowl of pasta eternally appealing, either with Marcella Hazan’s butter, onion and tomato sauce or a creamy vodka-style sauce full of greens, peppers, zucchini and asparagus (can’t wait for the first spring asparagus to show up so I can make this version again!). My boyfriend isn’t as enamored of giant bowls of carbs as I am, though, so my other go-to is a cabbage, white bean and potato sauté from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day. With a big grating of Parmesan over the top, it’s nearly as conforting and just as delicious as pasta!
our family’s go-to meatless dinner is stir-fry. Lots of fresh veggies (mushrooms, carrot, peppers, onion, broccoli) mixed with rice and a different sauce each time. Can’t wait for spring to arrive for garden veggies and farmer’s market.
Usually a go to is some sort of sweet potato black bean chili or rice bowl BUT… since making your spring pea and asparagus pasta last week I could definitely make that on a regular basis ;)
Can’t wait to try this! My go-to meatless recipe is a variation of shakshuka with chickpeas and whatever greens I have on hand. Simple and delicious!
Love your presentation! Looks like a great recipe to try out!
My go to veg recipe is a farro risotto (which I got from ATK). It’s a great weeknight meal that can be tailored to whatever vegetables I have in the house.
So excited to try this recipe! I love a declicious, meat-less meal!
My go-to meatless meal is a baked sweat potato topped with an olive oil fried egg, garlic salt, and chalula. It’s so easy after a long day of work, but delicious and the yolk of the egg creates it’s own delicious sauce!
Eggplant parmesan, or stuffed eggplant is what Im loving lately :)
My quick go-to is a breakfast bowl– sautéed potatoes, onions, garlic, topped with a fried egg, avocado, and salsa! My go-to when people come over is my black bean& purple potato green chile enchiladas.
This looks delicious! My go-to meal is a pasta “must-go” – basically pasta plus, sautéed veggies, with a fried egg on top. It uses the veggies that are about to go bad – everything “must-go”!
Just made a lovely Spring Vegetable vegetarian soup based on a CI recipe. Chock full of spring peas, asparagus, leeks, small ed potatoes, and baby spinach, in a veggie broth made from onions, carrots, leeks, celery, fennel, garlic, pepper, salt, parsley and fresh thyme. Yummie!
My go-to meatless meal is an omelette, homemade chickpea fritters, or sweet potato black bean chili in the crock pot!
Veggie chili! Any variety, but my latest favorite is sweet potato and black bean.
Also, anything with chickpeas. Love chickpeas!!
My go-to meatless meal is any variation on Mexican and must contain refried beans and often sautéed onions — mmmmm!
My go-to recipe is a seitan stir fry! Seitan, broccoli, and rice. Quick and easy for the work week.
Although my “favorite” recipe changes with the seasons and sunlight, my current obsession is chopped Swiss chard salad with flaked parmsean and lemon dressing plus garlic croutons! Or maybe e the dogs and I just love the croutons. Can’t wait to try your coconut kale dinner. Thanks!
There are so many, it’s hard to choose. The 3-ingredient cauliflower soup from Food52 is right up there for me, though. I make it at least weekly.
My go to vegetarian recipe is taco beans and rice. I adore ATK as do my two boys. They would be so excited to get a cookbook from ATK to cook from.