Caribbean-Model Stewed Crimson Beans (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

September 21, 2024

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My wholesome stewed crimson beans recipe is ideal for anybody who craves a scrumptious weeknight meal, desires a fast and simple dish, and loves comforting flavors. I like that it takes little or no time to come back collectively, making it perfect for busy people or for households on the lookout for a easy dinner. It’s a budget-friendly, hearty facet dish full of tons of taste, and it additionally occurs to be vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free!

Healthy stewed beans served in a blue bowl with a spoon.

Caribbean impressed crimson beans stew solely requires a handful of elements that come collectively for a flavorful recipe. It’s just like Jamaican stew peas with kidney beans, coconut, and herbs, however I made a couple of modifications.

Whereas historically this recipe has pig’s tail or different meat, I wished to make a stew that was customizable to satisfy different dietary preferences, particularly since my household is vegetarian! And I’m completely satisfied to share that my model turned out tremendous satisfying and hearty – with the entire taste of the normal model!

I often serve this over rice or quinoa that I cook dinner within the Immediate Pot to maintain it budget-friendly and vegetarian.

With slightly adjusting, leftovers may simply be become vegan bean tacos, bean soup, or perhaps a bean burger. Discuss an ideal recipe that may work time beyond regulation!

I’ll share 3 simple strategies for making this kidney bean stew, and I promise the ultimate product can be unimaginable irrespective of which possibility you select! While you do that stew for the primary time, you’ll be immediately hooked!

Beans are certainly one of my favourite plant based mostly proteins to cook dinner with, as a result of they’re so excessive in protein, fiber, nutritional vitamins and minerals (supply), and this recipe highlights crimson kidney beans completely!

My model has earthy, savory notes from the beans, sweetness from the butternut squash, is mildly spiced, and is barely tangy from the tomatoes and vegan Worcestershire giving it a posh stability of flavors that makes me simply need to take seconds, and thirds!

I additionally respect that there are three other ways to make this wholesome stewed crimson kidney beans recipe, so I can select whichever methodology works finest for me. Whether or not I’m utilizing the Immediate Pot, cooking it on the range, or letting it simmer within the gradual cooker, I at all times get the identical scrumptious outcome. It’s excellent for no matter suits into my day!

This recipe is of course gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian, which makes it an ideal alternative for these with dietary preferences or restrictions. It’s full of wholesome elements which can be each satisfying and healthful. It’s my go-to for after I need one thing easy but nutritious.

Certainly one of my favourite issues about this dish is how simple it’s to customise. I can add completely different greens or spices relying on what I’ve available, making it versatile and versatile. Plus, it’s budget-friendly, so I don’t have to interrupt the financial institution to get pleasure from a hearty, flavorful meal.

On the finish of the day, that is the last word crimson kidney beans stew recipe. It ticks all of the bins!

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🥘 Substances

My recipe for stewed crimson kidney beans requires quite simple elements. Take a look at the recipe card on the backside of this submit for actual measurements.

Ingredients for healthy stewed beans recipe on a white background.

Olive Oil: I like utilizing further virgin olive oil for sautéing the greens on this recipe, however typically I change it up with avocado or vegetable oil relying on what I’ve available.

Garlic, Onion, Carrots, Celery: I like the aroma of sautéed onions and garlic! Diced carrots and celery add the right texture and are traditional selections for any stew or soup.

Butternut Squash: If I’m out of butternut squash, I’ve discovered that cooked and diced pumpkin works simply as properly and brings an analogous sweetness and heartiness to the stew.

Scotch Bonnet Pepper: Scotch bonnet peppers are my secret ingredient for including a daring, candy, and spicy kick. These peppers are fairly scorching, about 40 instances spicier than a jalapeno! After I must tone down the warmth, I swap them with chile peppers, poblanos, and even inexperienced bell peppers.

Brown Sugar: I like how the brown sugar on this recipe provides a refined sweetness whereas barely caramelizing the greens for a wealthy depth of taste.

Tomato Paste: Tomato paste is my go-to for these stewed beans, although tomato sauce also can work. I ensure to keep away from marinara sauce, which brings too many Italian flavors and might conflict with the spices on this dish.

Vegetable Broth & Coconut Cream: Vegetable broth is the bottom for this stew, however after I don’t have it, I merely use water and add further seasonings.

Cherry Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes add a recent burst of taste that I get pleasure from, but when I solely have a big tomato available, I simply cube it up and toss it in.

Kidney Beans: The kidney beans are the star of this dish, however I’ll use some other beans I’ve if wanted. Each canned and dried beans work properly. Enjoyable truth: in Jamaica, kidney beans are referred to as “crimson peas,” which I discover fairly attention-grabbing!

Thyme, Inexperienced Onions, Contemporary Cilantro: Contemporary thyme provides this stew a beautiful natural notice, and I typically add sprigs of different herbs or bay leaves for further taste. Inexperienced onions go in on the finish to boost the feel, and cilantro is an non-compulsory however scrumptious of entirety after I need extra taste.

Worcestershire Sauce, Salt, Pepper: I exploit Worcestershire sauce to deepen the flavour, however for a vegan possibility, I’ll swap it with soy sauce or white wine vinegar. Traditional salt and black pepper spherical out the seasoning completely.

👩🏽‍🍳 How To Make Stewed Crimson Kidney Beans

Discover ways to make my Caribbean type stewed crimson beans recipe! There are a couple of other ways to make this recipe, relying on the accessible gear. Beneath are directions for the prompt pot, stovetop, and gradual cooker.

Range Prime

Sauté Veggies: I begin by heating oil in a deep saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-low warmth and sautéing the diced onion till it softens. Then, I add the garlic and cook dinner it for an additional couple of minutes. After that, I toss within the carrots, celery, butternut squash / pumpkin, and scotch bonnet pepper, sautéing for 4-5 minutes, stirring to verify every part cooks evenly.

Veggies and spices cooking in a large stock pot on the stove.

Add Brown Sugar: Subsequent, I sprinkle within the brown sugar and let it cook dinner till it melts and begins to caramelize, including a pleasant contact of sweetness to the dish.

Veggies and spices sauteeing in a large stock pot on the stove.

Add Liquids: I stir within the tomato paste, vegetable broth, coconut cream, and cherry tomatoes. Then, I carry the combination to a boil over medium-high warmth.

Red kidney beans, spices and broth added to a large stock pot on the stove.

Add Beans: As soon as it’s boiling, I add the canned beans, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce. I let it come to a boil once more, ensuring every part is properly mixed.

Add Closing Taste & Serve: Lastly, I add the inexperienced onions, salt, pepper, and cilantro. I cook dinner all of it for about half-hour, or till the greens are gentle and the sauce has thickened. I modify the seasoning to style and serve the stewed beans scorching.

Green onions, red kidney beans, spices and broth added to a large stock pot on the stove.

Immediate Pot

Sauté Onion & Garlic: I set the Immediate Pot to the “sauté” setting and add oil and diced onion. I sauté the onion till it softens, then add the garlic and sauté for an additional 2 minutes.

Add Veggies: After that, I add the carrots, celery, pumpkin, and scotch bonnet pepper. I sauté every part for an additional 4-5 minutes, ensuring to stir for even cooking. Then, I add the brown sugar and cook dinner it till it melts and begins to caramelize.

Add Remainder of Substances: Subsequent, I stir within the tomato paste, vegetable broth, coconut cream, cherry tomatoes, soaked dried kidney beans, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce. I additionally add the inexperienced onions, salt, pepper, and cilantro, stirring properly to mix every part.

Prepare dinner On Excessive Strain: I safe the lid on the Immediate Pot, set the stress cooker to the sealing setting, and choose excessive stress. I cook dinner it for 12 minutes, or till the greens are gentle and the sauce has thickened.

Regulate Seasoning & Serve: As soon as the pot is open, I style the stew and modify the seasoning if wanted. Then, I serve this kidney bean stew scorching.

Stewed red beans recipe cooking in a large pot on the stove.

Sluggish Cooker

Add Substances: I begin by including the tomato paste, vegetable broth, coconut cream, cherry tomatoes, soaked dry beans, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce to the gradual cooker. I set it to excessive and canopy it for two hours.

Sauté Veggies: Whereas that cooks, I warmth oil in a medium saucepan and sauté the diced onion till it softens. Then, I add the garlic and cook dinner for an additional 2 minutes. After that, I toss within the carrots, celery, pumpkin, and scotch bonnet pepper, sautéing for 4-5 minutes whereas stirring to make sure every part cooks evenly.

Combine In Veggies & Serve: After the two hours are up, I uncover the gradual cooker and add the sautéed veggies. I give all of it a superb stir to let the flavors meld collectively, modify the seasoning to my style, and serve the dish scorching.

Vegan stewed red kidney beans served in a blue bowl with a spoon.

My #1 Secret Tip for making this straightforward crimson kidney beans recipe on the range is to let the beans simmer on low warmth for so long as attainable. This gradual simmering course of provides the beans time to soak up all of the flavors from the spices, herbs, and greens, making the dish richer and extra complicated. I discover that the longer I allow them to cook dinner, the deeper the flavors turn out to be, so I by no means rush this half.
When I’ve the additional time, I desire to make use of dried beans soaked in a single day as a substitute of canned beans. Soaking the beans not solely makes them cook dinner sooner but in addition provides them a softer, creamier texture that enhances the general heartiness of the stew.

The dried beans additionally have a tendency to carry up higher in the course of the lengthy cooking course of, absorbing the flavors extra successfully than canned beans.

If utilizing dried beans, I add the soaked beans and water to the recipe, after sautéing the onions and garlic. The cooking time will have to be adjusted by a further 1 to 1.5 hours earlier than persevering with with the remaining steps within the crimson bean stew recipe.

Different Suggestions To Preserve In Thoughts:

Don’t Drain The Kidney Beans: I at all times add the beans together with the liquid they’re in for this stewed crimson beans recipe to boost the flavour and richness.
Reduce Evenly Diced Veggies: I ensure to cube all of the greens to the identical dimension so that they cook dinner evenly and mix completely into the stew.
Use Coconut Cream For Creaminess: For the creamiest texture, I desire utilizing coconut cream, however coconut milk works properly too if that’s what I’ve available.
When To Take away Thyme Sprigs: As soon as the sauce has thickened and the beans and greens are gentle, I take away the thyme sprigs as a result of the flavour has already infused into the stew.
For A Thinner Stew: If I need a thinner consistency, I slowly add a cup of water till I attain my desired thickness.
Mash The Beans: In direction of the top of cooking, I wish to mash a small portion of the beans towards the facet of the pot. This trick helps naturally thicken the stew and offers the dish a pleasant, creamy consistency whereas nonetheless sustaining the integrity of many of the beans.

📖 Variations

My stewed kidney beans are a scrumptious recipe with flavors that may simply be switched up. Listed here are some variations I’ve tried:

Totally different Spices: I like that this stew options Caribbean flavors, however I can simply change up the spices to discover different cuisines. Generally, I add cumin, cayenne pepper, or recent herbs for selection. Utilizing a bay leaf or recent parsley provides a pleasant contact to the stewed crimson kidney beans.

Totally different Kind Of Beans: Pinto beans, white beans, black beans, or cannellini beans work nice, and typically I combine a couple of varieties to create a novel mix.

Habichuelas Guisadas: To provide this recipe a Puerto Rican twist, I swap the kidney beans for pink beans and add cumin, stuffed olives, and adobo seasoning. It transforms the dish into a preferred Puerto Rican facet, which pairs completely with yellow rice.

Ewa Riro: For a Nigerian spin, I exploit black-eyed peas or honey beans and change the vegetable inventory with bouillon powder. If I’m not sticking to a vegetarian model, I’ll add crayfish, catfish, or smoked turkey to make this one-pot meal even heartier.

🍽 Serving Options

Served over a humble bowl of rice is the normal approach to pair these stewed kidney beans. Listed here are a couple of different choices I like:

Bread: A traditional manner to take in that stewed gravy from the beans! I like to serve this with buckwheat sourdough bread or garlic bread.

Salad: As a result of this can be a very filling meal, I wish to pair it with a light-weight salad. My roasted pumpkin salad, beetroot and feta salad, or spinach and arugula salad all have these related earthy flavors that complement this dish properly.

🫙 Storing And ♨️ Reheating

Earlier than storing these vegan stewed beans, I permit the stewed beans to chill to room temperature. Then, I both freeze it or refrigerate it. Right here’s how:

Fridge: I retailer leftovers within the fridge, in an hermetic container, for as much as 5 days.

Freezer: These beans will hold for as much as 2 months if frozen. To avoid wasting house, I put the beans in hermetic freezer baggage and freeze them flat.

Reheating: I like to recommend defrosting within the fridge in a single day, and warming the beans within the microwave or on the range high earlier than serving.

❓Recipe FAQs

CAN I MAKE THIS STEW AHEAD OF TIME?

Sure, it truly tends to style even higher the following day because the flavors proceed to develop. I simply make the recipe then retailer it within the fridge and reheat it totally earlier than serving.

CAN I USE FROZEN BEANS?

You technically can, however I wouldn’t advocate it. Kidney beans and different legumes will freeze fairly properly, however might get slightly mushy after being defrosted. After I’m in a pinch and want to make use of frozen beans, I ensure to thaw them earlier than including them to the stew, and in addition I cut back the cooking time in order that I don’t threat overcooking them and creating mushy beans.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN THE BEANS ARE DONE?

I examine if the beans are executed by tasting them. They need to be tender however not mushy. In the event that they’re nonetheless agency, I’ll allow them to cook dinner a bit longer till they attain the specified texture.

CAN I ADD GREENS TO THE STEW?

Sure, sometimes I’ll add greens like spinach or kale in direction of the top of cooking. They’ll wilt rapidly and add further vitamins and taste to the stew.

Vegan stewed beans served in a blue bowl with a spoon.

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