Chipotle Pinto Bean and Plantain Stew
This Chipotle Pinto Bean and Plantain Stew is tasty, healthy and comes together quick. All simmered together with smoky chipotle peppers and finished with lime.
I’ve been aiming to make this recipe for a long time now. After some testing and finally finding some perfect plantains, I was set to work on this easy and super tasty meal. Not much chopping to do and it comes together really quick, which is always a win-win in my book.
This dish is inspired by an older recipe I love, Black Bean & Butternut Squash Stew. I really liked adding a starchy component to the black beans, and the butternut squash made me really want to try it with plantains instead to help lend just enough sweetness to help mellow out the spices in this dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Has simple ingredients, but bold flavor. It’s one of the reasons I love using chipotle peppers, they really pack in a lot of flavors without need much to help elevate it.
- It’s easy to make. Nothing complicated involved even if using plantains for the first time. The ripe ones are much easier to work with than green plantains.
- A satisfying vegan meal that is also naturally gluten-free and nut-free.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chipotle Peppers: We want the variety that comes canned in adobo sauce. These will be spicy, so if you are trying to tone down the heat, either remove the seeds or opt for just the sauce in the can.
- Tomatoes: I used cherry tomatoes, but you can use canned crushed tomatoes or fresh plum tomatoes.
- Spices: We are using some sazon, cumin and coriander. If you don’t have sazon on hand or can’t find it in the Latin section of your grocery store, you can make your own with this recipe or substitute it for chili powder or smoked paprika depending on what you have on hand.
- Plantains: When picking a plantain for this dish, go for one with a slightly ripe, pale yellow skin. For reference for the plantains, see the image below. You want the slightly ripe variety as mentioned and highlighted. You can also substitute the plantains for your favorite diced winter squash or some sweet potato.
- Lime Juice: Not only will it help freshen up the dish at the very end, but it’s also an excellent way to help you enhance the absorption of the iron you get from the beans.
How to Make Chipotle Pinto Bean and Plantain Stew
Start by making your sauce. You want to blend your cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves and chipotle peppers to make a thick salsa. Set it aside and start sautéing your onions and peppers.
Once the onions and peppers are softened, add your blended tomato mixture and sauté. Stir in your spices and make sure that they sauté with the mixture for a few more minutes.
Add in your pinto beans and some vegetable broth, then stir to mix well. Bring the mix to a simmer and then stir in your diced plantains. Cover the pan with a lid and reduce heat to low and simmer until the plantains soften. Remove the cover and if adding spinach, stir it in and allow it to wilt from the natural steam in the pan before serving.
Tips for the Perfect Stew
- To peel your plantain, cut off the ends and with a paring knife, cut the skin length wise from end to end. With your fingers, peel back the cut skin to help peel it away from the flesh. If the skin is sticking to the flesh, you can use your paring knife to help lightly trim the skin off the flesh.
- Cut your plantain into thicker chunks. You should be aiming for plantain pieces that are about 1/2 inch thick. Avoid cutting them too thin or they will get really soft and break apart in your stew.
- If you want to tone down the heat of your recipe, you can deseed your chipotle pepper or just use the sauce available in the can of chipotle peppers. You can start with 2 tablespoons and increase based on your taste preference.
- Use canned pinto beans to make this a super fast recipe. Just make sure to rinse and drain the pinto beans well before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
Think of it as a “cooking” banana. They are a major food staple in Africa, the Caribbean, as well as Central and South America. The main differences between regular banana and plantains is their size and starch content. Plantains tend to be twice the size of a regular banana and they contain more starch, which makes them appropriate for cooking. Their savory or sweet taste depends on their stage of ripeness with green varieties being more starchy like a potato and ripe plantains having more sweetness to them similar to a banana.
There are a few differences, but I think it’s important to note that their nutrition is very similar. If you feel that you do have the time, you can absolutely cook your own pinto beans. You can control how you flavor them as well as the amount of sodium to include with them compared to canned beans. If using freshly cooked, just make sure to taste and adjust seasonings to preference as you cook your stew.
You want your plantains to be mildly ripe. To gauge for the perfect plantain, look for a plantain that is mostly yellow that hasn’t softened and started showing soft brown patches. These plantains also happen to be easier to peel. Just cut the ends off and cut the length of the skin and with your fingers, carefully pull the peel away from the flesh.
Carbohydrates are an important nutrient that helps to maintain and support our energy as well as other functions throughout our body. Some of these less talked about functions include maintaining and preventing muscle loss, promoting digestive health and helping to reduce risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. The important part when it comes to carbohydrates is to try and choose whole grain options as often as possible to truly reap the benefits that we are talking about here. It’s also important to note that there are more than just carbohydrates in meals like this as well.
Storage and Reheating
This stew can be cooled and stored into air tight containers to be placed in a fridge for up to 4-5 days. It can also be placed in the freezer for up to 1 month. You can reheat in a small sauce pan or place in the microwave until it’s warmed through.
How to Serve
The heat from this dish pairs perfectly with fresh avocado, vegan sour cream, fresh cilantro and rice. You can also serve this dish with a side of Moro or Mexican Rice.
More Quick and Easy Vegan Dinner Ideas
- Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
- Kale Crunch Salad
- Skillet Spiced Chickpeas and Kale
- Easy Homemade Seitan Stir-Fry
- Maple Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Watch me make this dish and cut the plantains on Instagram.
Chipotle Pinto Bean and Plantain Stew
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Chipotle Pinto Bean and Plantain Stew is tasty, healthy and comes together quick. All simmered together with smoky chipotle peppers and finished with lime.
Ingredients
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 tbsp of neutral oil, I used avocado oil
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 tsp sazon
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1, 15 oz can pinto beans
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 slightly ripe yellow plantain, cut the ends off and cut the skin length wise, peel and cut into 1/2 inch half coins
- 2 cups spinach, optional
- Juice of one lime
- 1–2 tsp maple syrup, optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make your chipotle sauce by adding the cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves and chipotle peppers into a small food processor and pulse them together until it breaks down into a salsa consistency.
- Set the sauce aside and heat up a large skillet over medium heat with some oil. Add your onions and peppers and start to sauté until softened.
- Once the onions and peppers are softened, add your blended tomato mixture and continue to sauté. Add in your spices into the mixture and continue to stir for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add in your pinto beans along with the vegetable broth, then stir to combine everything well.
- Bring the mix to a simmer and then stir in your diced plantains.
- Once mixed, cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and if adding spinach, stir it in now and allow it to wilt from the natural steam in the pan.
- Finish off the dish with a squeeze of lime juice and if the mixture is too acidic, add a little bit of maple syrup to help balance out the meal. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste and then serve.
Notes
To peel your plantain, cut off the ends and with a paring knife, cut the skin length wise from end to end. With your fingers, peel back the cut skin to help peel it away from the flesh. If the skin is sticking to the flesh, you can use your paring knife to help lightly trim the skin off the flesh.
Cut your plantain into thicker chunks. You should be aiming for plantain pieces that are about 1/2 inch thick. Avoid cutting them too thin or they will get really soft and break apart in your stew.
If you want to tone down the heat of your recipe, you can deseed your chipotle pepper or just use the sauce available in the can of chipotle peppers. You can start with 2 tablespoons and increase based on your taste preference.
Use canned pinto beans to make this a super fast recipe. Just make sure to rinse and drain the pinto beans well before using.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
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This was delicious! My five year old is a big fan also. Definitely agree on topping with avocado and serving with rice. I made the base ahead and waited for the plantain to be ripe. I’m inexperienced with them and didn’t realize it could take 1-2 weeks to be ready. I made it before it matched the color you called for so it tasted more potatoey than anything else to us. Definitely plan to try again with a slightly ripe plantain another time. Thanks for the recipe! So nice in the winter
This is so delicious!! Great flavor!
Thank you so much Ada! So glad you enjoyed. 🙂
Awesome one-pot wonder! I’ve never cooked with plantains and now I’m not going back! I’ll make it a bit less spicy next time but I loved that it was so simple and so flavorful!