I love black bean stew! It’s my basic, every day comfort food. I will serve it on brown rice, mixed grains, rolled in a tortilla with some shredded cheese or with my favourite, quinoa. This dish is so simple to make that it hardly warrants a recipe. But, since several people have expressed that they don’t know their way around a kitchen, I decided to share this simple recipe.
This dish is also very versatile. Try it with sweet potato, corn, carrots, kale, sweet bell peppers, squash, peas–just about any veggie! I often make it with dehydrated corn and red bell peppers. I put about half a cup of each in a bowl, cover them with water and let them rehydrate overnight. Next best thing to fresh veggies! I add leftover soaking water to the stew. Should you get tired of black beans–not likely!–or for variety, make it with pintos, kidneys, or a mix of beans and chickpeas. I cook large batches of beans in my slow cooker and store them in the freezer, 2 cups per bag.
Another excellent addition is a couple of chopped Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages for extra spice! Caution: very hot!!! Served with a mixed green salad and a scoop of homemade sauerkraut, yum!
A couple of months ago, I discovered Tortilla Pan sets at a Dollarama near my place. Paid 3 bucks for them–go figure! So I bought some for my daughters and my mom. If you don’t have these handy pans, simply turn a regular muffin tin upside down, and place tortillas between the muffin moulds…
Multigrain tortillas are perfect, not too large, but, when baked 15 minutes at 375°, they become crispy and big on flavour!
Ingredients
2 cups cooked black beans (one large can)
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 celery stalk, chopped
½-1 cup diced bell pepper (green, red, yellow)
1-2 onions, coarsely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (26 oz/796 ml/3 cups) diced tomatoes
Optional:1 zucchini, diced, 1/2-1 cup corn, other veggies and sausage, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Herbs to taste: oregano, basil, cumin
Instructions
Sauté onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil.
Add tomatoes, peppers, sweet potato and other veggies. Cook until tender, 10-20 minutes, depending on ingredients.
Add black beans and sausage and leafy vegetables, if adding. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
