Stewed Kidney Beans (Vegan)

Stewed beans are the dietary staple and the backbone of many Caribbean and central American cuisines. This recipe is simple yet a tasty vegan spin on stewed kidney beans, totally pork free and slow cooked via stovetop.

Finally another warm and hearty, one pot Caribbean recipe for you all to sink your teeth into, this time we are eating a culinary dish that is inspired by the various parts of the Caribbean and Central America.

**Update. This recipe has been updated from when I originally posted it. I have tweaked the quantity of beans, and made some minor changes to the ingredients and also added some progress shots to guide you through the recipe*

Lately I've been thinking about ways to add more protein to my diet, in a way that's yielding a Caribbean flare and BAM I thought of stewed beans. Just to let you know Caribbean people tend to call their recipes/dish by the present principle.

For instance, while a Westerner would say "goat curry" an English speaking Caribbean person would say "Curry goat" . As I wanted make a distinction I purposely referred to the dish as "stewed beans" as opposed to "stewed peas" so there would be no confusion with Jamaican stew peas.

In the Caribbean red kidney beans play a crucial role in many cuisines including Rice and Peas, Potato Curry, Plantain Curry, Red Pea Soup

My recipe rendition

Most traditional stewed beans would call for some type of pork in the recipe. As I don't eat pork and wanted to make my version vegan. I decided to opt for using more herbs and spices along with celery and bell peppers.

Keep in mind that MY VERSION IS NOT TRADITIONAL it's inspired and a spin off.

Stewed kidney beans are very flavoursome - lot's of garlic, with a combination of herbs (parsley, sage and thyme). Sage doesn't tend to make much of an appearance in Caribbean food, it's traditional but with that being said, it's certainly not guaranteed and it use does depend on the island and/or the dish at hand.

I had to search high and low to source the best ingredient combination to make this dish, just like other dish over time, generational adaptations are bound to occur within any traditional style of cooking.

Some people like to add chicken or even pig tails for an in depth salty savoury flavour, while others go hardcore with herbs.

The steps

• Thoroughly rinse the red kidney beans to get rid of any dirt or debris.
• Soak the beans in the water, cover and set aside overnight.
• Discard the water, strain and rinse off the beans.
• Carefully add the beans and all of the vegetables (add only half of the onions) into the pot.
• Now add your herbs and spices - black pepper, pink salt, sage, garlic granules, parsley and stir.
• Tie the bay leaves and thyme stems together to form a bouquet garni (bundle) and add that to the pot

• Add 1tbsp of coconut oil or olive oil to the pot.
• Pour 8 cups of water into the pot and bring it to the boil.
• Once boiled reduce the flame to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 2 ½ - 3 hours
• During the given time the water will evaporate so only ¼ is left (enough to cover the beans)
• Once 2 ½ hours have passed, remove about ½ cup worth of beans from the pot and mash them then return them to the pot.
• Stir and leave the beans to thicken (it should thicken within 30 minutes) so check frequently.

• Meanwhile, in a separate frying pan, add 2 tbsp of coconut/olive oil and saute the remaining onions until they are golden brown.
• Discard the bouquet garni (herb bundle) and serve the onions on top of the beans.
• Make sure to do a taste test and adjust seasoning if required before serving

Can you use canned beans instead?

You can fast track this recipe using about 3-4 canned beans but a thickener maybe required for the stew. I would suggest making it with the water from the kidney beans along with about 2 additional cups of water.

Follow the instructions in the recipe card and allow the pot to simmer for about 30 minutes instead.

Is this recipe spicy?

No! Just generously seasoned as no chillies or hot peppers are used.

My beans are still watery and not thick, help!

The key to this recipe is to leave it to simmer for a few hours. You will also need to mash some of the beans as well. Make sure you are mashing about ½ cups worth of beans.

You can remove them directly from the pot or just scoop them up and mash them at the side of the pot using the back of a spoon.

If you have done the above and the beans are still watery then, mash some more beans. Also, may need to increase the heat to high to rid any access water until the beans start to thicken.

What can you serve this recipe with?

You can serve this recipe with some plantain, try my Oven Baked Plantain recipe, you can also serve it with Brown Rice, Breadfruit, Green Banana or even my Rasta Pasta dish.

Notes and tips

• This recipe works best with dried beans but you can use canned beans if you wish to fast track things.
• The beans can be kept refrigerated for 3-4 days.
• This is a freezer friendly recipe, you are more then welcome to store any leftovers in freezable containers for up to 3 months.
• You can use dried herbs if you don't have any fresh ones to hand.
• This recipe uses a lot of garlic although the garlic doesn't overpower the overall recipe. If you don't care for a lot of garlic simply reduce the amount that is used.
• Keep an eye on the beans as they cook, you don't want the water to recede before the giving time, so have some water to hand and replenish if needed.

More recipes with legumes

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Stewed Kidney Beans (Vegan)

These stew beans are true comfort food and perfect to consume during the colder months.

5 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Entree

Cuisine: Belizean, Caribbean

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 345kcal

Author: Charla

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups of red kidney beans (354g)
• ▢ 8 cups of water
• ▢ 1 cup mixed bell peppers
• ▢ 1 celery stalk sliced in small pieces
• ▢ 8 cloves of garlic minced
• ▢ 2 tsp of parsley fresh or dried
• ▢ 2 tsp sage
• ▢ 2 tsp of garlic granules
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ ½ tbsp of himalayan pink salt
• ▢ 5 sprigs of thyme
• ▢ 2 tsp of black pepper
• ▢ 1 large onion sliced
• ▢ coconut oil or olive oil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Thoroughly rinse the red kidney beans to get rid of any dirt or debris.
• Soak the beans in the water, cover and set aside overnight.
• Discard the water, strain and rinse off the beans.
• Carefully add the beans and all of the vegetables (add only half of the onions) into the pot.
• Now add your herbs and spices - black pepper, pink salt, sage, garlic granules, parsley and and stir.
• Tie the bay leaves and thyme stems together to form a bouquet garni (bundle) and add that to the pot
• Add 1tbsp of coconut oil or olive oil to the pot.
• Pour 8 cups of water into the pot and bring it to the boil.
• Once boiled reduce the flame to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 2 ½ - 3 hours
• During the given time the water will evaporate so only ¼ is left (enough to cover the beans)
• Once 2 ½ hours have passed, remove about ½ cup worth of beans from the pot and mash them then return them to the pot
• stir and leave the beans to thicken (it should thicken within 30 minutes) so check frequently
• Meanwhile, in a separate frying pan, add 2 tbsp of coconut/olive oil and saute the remaining onions until they are golden brown.
• Discard the bouquet garni (herb bundle) and serve the onions on top of the beans
• Make sure to do a taste test and adjust seasoning if required before serving

Notes

• This recipe works best with dried beans but you can use canned beans if you wish to fast track things.
• The beans can be kept refrigerated for 3-4 days.
• This is a freezer friendly recipe, you are more then welcome to store any leftovers in freezable containers for up to 3 months.
• You can use dried herbs if you don't have any fresh ones to hand.
• This recipe uses a lot of garlic although the garlic doesn't overpower the overall recipe. If you don't care for a lot of garlic simply reduce the amount that is used.
• Keep an eye on the beans as they cook, you don't want the water to recede before the giving time, so have some water to hand and replenish if needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 345kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 3g | Fiber: 6g

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