comment icon 113 more comments Plantains and more plantains! Three cheers for this starchy vegetable that can go savory OR sweet on you, or in the case of today’s recipe, a little spicy, too. This recipe is incredibly vibrant and full of nutritious good stuff! But that is secondary to the fact that it just tastes very, very delicious. This plantain and pinto bean situation is more of a thick stew than a soup, and it’s like a melting pot of spices, aromatics, and fresh, tender-cooked vegetables like plantains and bell peppers and kale. The cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder warm it up, the pinto beans bulk it out a bit, and the plantains are the perfect bite-sized chunks of slightly-sweet creaminess that we need in a stew. Okay, but that’s not all. I cannot recommend this stew without also recommending that you serve it topped with a swizzle of a spicy green sauce called aji verde, which is 10/10 delicious and full of creamy cilantro flavor and will also possibly start your mouth on fire. In a good way. It’s VERY GOOD. Hear me out. I intentionally didn’t add a lot of spice to the stew – you can serve it to your most spice-avoidant family members and they will be good to go! The stew itself is more sweet and smoky. No heat necessary. But the aji verde is where all the spice lives, so each person can add that sauce to their fiery little heart’s content. None for him, tons for her, medium amount for that person, and just like that everyone is eating beautifully wholesome food, getting their optimal flavor-and-spice kicks, and feeling really good. This stew makes amazing leftovers. Like, really truly, the kind you look forward to eating for lunch when you wake up in the morning. Keep the sauce handy in a little squeeze bottle because you’re going to be reaching for that more than once. This plantain and pinto bean stew does really well on its own, in a bowl, like a soup. But it also does really well heaped over a pile of white or brown (or cauli!) rice as just a cozy little home for all those veggies to rest and all the flavorful tomatoey juices to soak in. You’re ready. You’re on fire. Don’t forget the sauce.
Watch How To Make This Recipe:
I happened across this lovely black bean and plantain stew from Afro Vitality Eats the other day which is what inspired me to start combining some of the ingredients you see here. Plantains are a cousin to the banana and they are grown around the world, accounting for 85% of all banana cultivation worldwide. The more you know! This stew isn’t a traditional recipe that is specific to any particular culture or region, as far as I understand, but if you know differently feel free to let us know in the comments. On the flip side, aji verde is a Peruvian green sauce that is creamy, herby, and hot, hot, hot! I based my less-traditional version off the aji verde recipe from A Cozy Kitchen.
Common Questions About Plantain and Pinto Stew with Aji Verde
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our creamy and delicious dairy-free recipes. Check it out! 4.8 from 39 reviews
1 small white onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (more to taste) two 14-ounce cans fire-roasted diced or crushed tomatoes 1–2 cups vegetable broth 1 teaspoon kosher salt (more to taste) 2 medium-ripe plantains, peeled and sliced into small half-moon shapes one 15-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed 2 cups kale, shredded 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
For the Aji Verde:
2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup mayonnaise 3 ounces of queso fresco (optional) 1 jalapeño pepper, ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped (add more for more heat!) 1 bunch cilantro 2 garlic cloves juice of 1 lime pinch of salt (to taste)
