By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 2 hours 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(119)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This savory, filling pot of beans is inspired by a Chilean bean stew. I’ve substituted quinoa for the corn that the authentic version calls for. Make it a day ahead for the best flavor.
Featured in: Quinoa: A Protein-Packed Alternative to Grains
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 6 to 8 generously
- 1pound dried pinto beans, rinsed and picked over, soaked in 2 quarts water overnight or for 6 hours
- Salt
- 1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1medium onion, chopped
- 1tablespoon sweet paprika
- 4large garlic cloves, minced
- 1bay leaf
- 1(14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, with liquid
- 1pound winter squash, such as butternut, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes
- ½cup quinoa, rinsed thoroughly
- Freshly ground pepper
- 3tablespoons chopped fresh basil or parsley
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
298 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 451 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Place the beans and soaking water in a large pot. Add water if necessary to cover the beans by about 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Skim off foam, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 60 minutes, or until the beans are tender but intact. Add salt to taste.
Step
2
Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick frying pan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes, and add the paprika. Stir together for about a minute, and add the garlic. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two, until the garlic and onions are very fragrant but not brown, and stir in the tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and smell fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape the contents of the pan into the pot of beans.
Step
3
Bring the beans back to a simmer, add the bay leaf and winter squash, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until the squash and beans are thoroughly tender. Add the quinoa and simmer for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the quinoa is translucent and displays an opaque thread. Taste and adjust salt. Add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Stir in the basil or parsley, simmer for a couple of minutes more, and serve, with cornbread or crusty country bread.
Ratings
4
out of 5
119
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Cooking Notes
Josephine
In Chile, this is a summer dish, made with fresh cranberry beans. Fresh corn kernels cut off the cob makes it wonderful--much better than quinoa.
Amy
Really enjoyed this one, though it does take a long time to prepare. Simmer some ingredients for an hour, add a couple more ingredients, simmer for another 30 minutes, etc. All that simmering is doubtless what makes it so flavorful. Be sure not to skimp on the seasonings and salt, and set aside enough time for this so you're not sitting down to eat at 8 pm , like I was.
Jilbers
Delicious. I used smoked paprika and it really added a great smoky sweet note. Followed the recipe otherwise but did add approx. 2-3 cups of water as it was getting too thick at the end of cooking time. Will be making this again.
Beth Gahbler
Excellent. My tweaks: adding cumin because it goes so well with sweet paprika, and cutting down the cooking time by separately pressure-cooking the soaked beans, then adding them to everything else, which was by then merrily cooking away.
I'm sure fresh corn would also be superb.
And queso fresco or feta, unless one wanted a vegan recipe, like I did after the holidays!
Blaine Snow
Had to abort cooking the beans as they were too old and wouldn't cook down. DON'T USE OLD BEANS!!! Just get rid of them.
Used three cans of pinto beans instead. Next time will have fresh dry beans.
Lasse
This came out great in the end. We did however find it a bit bland, with just salt, pepper, paprika and the bay leaf. Not quite in keeping with the Andean theme, I ended up tweaking it with a little bit of cayenne, cumin and a pinch of garam masala. This did the trick. I could also envision adding a bit of celery and carrots while simmering the beans, or using a mixture of water and vegetable stock.
Lydia
Smoked paprika really makes this dish sing! I was surprised at how good this was, because the combo of pinto beans and butternut squash didn't sound that exciting to me. I also used red quinoa, which (I think) looks so much more enticing than white quinoa. Next time I will add some corn.
Toni Green
Overall good cooking recipe but I also think it ends up being a bit bland as it stands. I followed it pretty exactly (although I used corn not quinoa and the sweet crunch was nice) and then added some smoked paprika, cumin (a pretty typical Andean spice too), and a drizzle of olive oil to give it more punch. I imagine Parmesan or some sausage would also do the trick. Also— keep in mind the size of the squash— my small butternut got a little overwhelmed by the amount of beans.
Tina in Denver
I made this last night and really enjoyed it. It went pretty quickly because we had already cut up a butternut squash a few days previous. Per another reviewers suggestion I added cumin and cayenne because we like our food very spicy. I also made a spoon bread to serve with it, which really amped up the dish.
blewin
Could this be done in the slow cooker?
Cindy
Used canned Pinto Beans which I added after sautéing onions and tomatoes. Used smoked paprika and added some dried hot pepper flakes to give it a bit of a kick. All turned out quite yummy!
Seamar
I agree with Josephine that the quinoa is underwhelming. The dish is rather bland.
raysully
Very nice dish! Doubled the quinoa; it gives it the look and consistency of ground beef. Three cups of beef stock gave it a little beef taste. Was lazy and used a can of black beans instead of dried. Used unpeeled carrots and sweet potato chunks instead of squash. The wife wants it again - a sure sign of success.
Tia
This dish got a thumbs up from my vegetarian teen. A little more subtle than many of the heavily spiced vegetarian mains I’ve made from NYT. It was a nice change. I did take a major shortcut by making a pot of beans from vegetable stock and canned pinto beans. With this short cut I was able to make the whole dish in just a little over an hour. Even made corn bread while the quinoa was cooking in the stew. Definitely will make again.
Andy
Made this (with some kale, zucchini and browned pork tossed in) in the instant pot. 15 mins on high (beans pre-instapot'd earlier that day), with some red pepper flakes for a kick.
Karen Beth
This was delicious with substitution of grains and spices I had on hand. I too wanted a little more bite, so I added a TBS of a Berbere mix of spices (this included cayenne, fenugreek, cumin, cinnamon, tumeric, ginger and others). Out of Quinoa, I threw in a cup of Red Lentils (which thickens it to a stew) and half a cup of Millet, and added more liquid as the lentils and millet absorbed. A very flexible bean dish - you could take it in many directions. And a big hit with everyone.
Lasse
This came out great in the end. We did however find it a bit bland, with just salt, pepper, paprika and the bay leaf. Not quite in keeping with the Andean theme, I ended up tweaking it with a little bit of cayenne, cumin and a pinch of garam masala. This did the trick. I could also envision adding a bit of celery and carrots while simmering the beans, or using a mixture of water and vegetable stock.
Blaine Snow
Had to abort cooking the beans as they were too old and wouldn't cook down. DON'T USE OLD BEANS!!! Just get rid of them.
Used three cans of pinto beans instead. Next time will have fresh dry beans.
Jilbers
Delicious. I used smoked paprika and it really added a great smoky sweet note. Followed the recipe otherwise but did add approx. 2-3 cups of water as it was getting too thick at the end of cooking time. Will be making this again.
Amy
Really enjoyed this one, though it does take a long time to prepare. Simmer some ingredients for an hour, add a couple more ingredients, simmer for another 30 minutes, etc. All that simmering is doubtless what makes it so flavorful. Be sure not to skimp on the seasonings and salt, and set aside enough time for this so you're not sitting down to eat at 8 pm , like I was.
Beth Gahbler
Excellent. My tweaks: adding cumin because it goes so well with sweet paprika, and cutting down the cooking time by separately pressure-cooking the soaked beans, then adding them to everything else, which was by then merrily cooking away.
I'm sure fresh corn would also be superb.
And queso fresco or feta, unless one wanted a vegan recipe, like I did after the holidays!
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