This hidden bell pepper bean stew is simple and customizeable! It is satiating, perfect for meal prep, and a great way to clean out the fridge.
Bell Peppers for Haters
I’ve come to terms with the fact that my family is just full of bell pepper haters. But since bell peppers are such a nutrient-dense food, I have to be more creative about incorporating it into dishes while removing the texture that my family hates.
And while blending bell peppers and onions may not seem that creative, but it adds such a light and flavourful sauce that complements the creamy beans so well. Feel free to add more liquid if you want it to be a thinner sauce, or if you just like a thick stew, keep the recipe as is!
Ingredient Swap Ideas
The seasonings for this stew lie between a curry and a chili stew. Feel free to play with whatever spices you like. Since I often have green herbs to use up as well, I will base my spices on the greens. Cilantro and cumin are always good pairs. Parsley and garlic powder work nicely together. And extra paprika to go with the bell peppers just makes sense to me. More pepper per pepper y’know?
Because the sauce for this bean stew is blended, you can incorporate other veggies as well. Roasted eggplant or zucchini would also work incredibly well to make a light and creamy sauce. Roasted garlic and roasted tomatoes would also be incredible! But I rarely have the motivation or time to preheat the oven let alone wait for the veggies to cook.
There are a lot of possibilities here to clean out your pantry and incorporate extra nutrients into this bean stew if you want. And this is such a versatile dish to serve in a multitude of ways. Eat it with some crusty toasted sourdough, enjoy with rice, or over baked potatoes or sweet potatoes too.
For protein, I’ve been using whatever vegan mince I have available. I will forever miss the now-discontinued Yves, but I’ve been using the Gusta ground round lately, and it holds up quite well. Gardein frozen ground is also always well-received, just more expensive, and Beyond and Impossible are favourites in our house as well. If you prefer not to use a vegan mince, shredded tofu that’s been baked to give it chewier texture will also be nice.
If you prefer to use canned beans in this bean stew, feel free to do so! I find home-cooked beans is cheaper and creamier than canned if I have the time to cook it.
Hidden Bell Pepper Bean Stew
Equipment
- pressure cooker like an instant pot
- immersion/hand blender or regular blender
Ingredients
To cook dried beans
- 1 cup dried romano beans
- 1 tbsp table salt
- 4 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 medium onion, peeled
For the stew
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 large bell peppers green, orange, red, doesn't matter
- 1 medium onion, diced red, yellow, white, doesn't matter
- 1 can (156 mL/5.5 oz) tomato paste
- 1 tbsp ground smoked paprika
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp bouillion paste concentrate
- 1 lb vegan ground meat I used Gusta. Use a gluten-free one if GF.
- 1/2 cup liquid from cooking beans
- 1 cup finely chopped cilantro both leaf and stem
- 1/2 cup cooked rice to serve with each portion of stew
Instructions
Prepare the beans
- Soak the dried romano beans in plenty of water (I used a 1 L deli container) with 1 tbsp of table salt for at least 8 hours until completely rehydrated1 cup dried romano beans, 1 tbsp table salt
- Drain the beans, and add to a pressure cooker with 4 cups (1L) water, half an onion, and bay leaves. Cook for 10 minutes (I used the Bean setting) and allow to naturally release.4 cups water, 2 bay leaves, 1 medium onion, peeled
- Remove the onion from the beans and set aside to be blended into the sauce.
To make the stew
- In a wide pot (I used a braiser), cook the bell peppers and onion in cooking oil until softened, and lightly caramelized.2 tbsp cooking oil, 2 large bell peppers, 1 medium onion, diced
- Add 1 can of tomato paste and stir to cook the paste a bit, about 2-3 minutes.1 can (156 mL/5.5 oz) tomato paste
- Add ground paprika, onion powder, ground cumin, and kosher salt. Stir to cook through slightly, and then mix well.1 tbsp ground smoked paprika, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp kosher salt
- Remove everything from the pan and transfer to a blender or a container with the reserved onion (from the beans) and 1 tsp of veggie bouillion paste. Blend everything until well pureed. If you need to, add a bit of liquid from cooking the beans to loosen the sauce.1 tsp bouillion paste concentrate
- In the same cooking vessel, cook the vegan ground mince until heated through. If it's sticking to the bottom, feel free to add a bit more cooking oil. I had enough residual oil from the onion and peppers that I didn't need it.1 lb vegan ground meat
- Add in the cooked beans, the blended veggie mixture, and 1/2 cup of the liquid from the cooked beans to the pan and stir well to combine. Cover and let simmer to let the flavours mingle, about 10 minutes.1/2 cup liquid from cooking beans
- Stir in cilantro at the end, and serve with rice! I use a mixed rice of brown rice, white rice, and quinoa.1 cup finely chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup cooked rice to serve with each portion of stew
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