Tomatillo Bean Stew

5 from 4 votes

A Mexican inspired vegan tomatillo and pinto bean stew. Tart-sweet tomatillos, celery, cumin, coriander, Mexican oregano and smoked paprika stir wonderful depth. Pinto beans add nutty flavor and lots of protein and fiber. This is a vegan, nut-free, soy-free and gluten-free recipe.

Prep Time15

Cook Time30

Total Time45

Course: Main Course/Stew

Cuisine: Mexican inspired

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 188kcal

Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Dutch oven or any large saucepan or pot with lid

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4-5 cloves garlic (crushed through a garlic press or minced)
1 leek (green and white parts finely chopped)
3 ribs celery (finely chopped)1
1 jalapeno pepper (minced. Deseed and use less if sensitive to heat)
1 pound tomatillos (husks removed, then chopped into ½-inch pieces).
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
3 cups cooked pinto beans (1 cup dried pinto beans cooked or approx two 14-oz cans, drained)
2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
A few crushed tortilla chips for garnish (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Infuse garlic: Place the oil in a Dutch oven or large stockpot or saucepan. Add the garlic and heat the oil over gentle heat, stirring the garlic, until it becomes lightly golden and aromatic.
Add the leeks and peppers with salt and ground pepper to taste. Saute a couple of minutes.
Stir in the tomatillos. Add the ground coriander, ground cumin, smoked paprika and Mexican oregano. Mix, cover, and let the tomatillos cook over medium low heat for five minutes.
Add the beans to the pot along with a cup of water or vegetable stock or the bean cooking liquid (if you cooked the beans yourself). Stir, cover, and let the flavors meld together over medium heat for another five minutes.
Add a cup or two more of liquid to the pot depending on how thick you want the stew to be. Stir well and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Check seasoning, then turn off heat. Garnish with parsley and crushed tortilla chips, if using. Serve hot

Notes

If you are adventurous when it comes to heat you can even make this with habanero peppers (use no more than a fourth to a half of a pepper because habaneros are very, very spicy, and be sure to deseed). Habaneros add amazing flavor and dimension to this stew.
If you don't have Mexican oregano, use marjoram as a substitute.
You can substitute pinto beans with black beans in this stew.
If you don't have tomatillos or can't find them, you can use green tomatoes in this stew.
To make this stew in the Instant Pot, set the IP to the "saute" function and proceed until step 5. After adding the beans and water to the Instant Pot, cook on high pressure for five minutes. Let the pressure release naturally or force-release after 10 minutes. Check seasoning, garnish with parsley and tortilla chips, and serve.

Nutrition