Our new favorite warm and nutritious stew filled with pinto beans, plantains, tomatoes, kale, and lots of cozy spices. Top it with a swizzle of a spicy green sauce called aji verde and you’re in flavor town.
Plantain and Pinto Stew with Aji Verde
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A new dinner staple!! I did not expect to love this recipe so much but I’m glad I tried it out. Consider me adding this aji verde sauce onto everything from now on — super delish on some over easy eggs!
Delaney Pichotta
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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
How ripe should my plantains be?
For this recipe, we like to have the plantains be medium-ripe – so they’re soft and just starting to turn yellow / brown on the peel. If you use very ripe plantains, they will be very sweet (also delicious but just a different taste)! If you use under-ripe plantains, they will be very starchy and take longer to cook (like a dense raw potato).
Is the stew spicy?
The stew itself has a lot of flavor, but we wouldn’t say it’s spicy. You can certainly add more spice (hot peppers, cayenne, etc.) to the stew itself if you like! I personally like to keep the spice contained in the sauce – that way the adults can eat the stew + sauce together, and our daughter can eat a milder version of the plain stew.
How do I store leftover aji verde?
We’d recommend storing it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Plantain and Pinto Stew with Aji Verde
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 5–6 servings 1x
Description
Our new favorite warm and nutritious stew filled with pinto beans, plantains, tomatoes, kale, and lots of cozy spices. Top it with a swizzle of a spicy green sauce called aji verde and you’re in flavor town.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the Stew:
- 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)
Instructions
- Shortcut (Optional): Place the onion, garlic, and bell pepper in a food processor and pulse them through for quick and easy chopping!
- Sauté the Veggies: Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and peppers. Sauté for 5 minutes until soft.
- Build the Stew: Add the cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a low simmer.
- Cook the Plantains: Add in the plantains. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Add in the pinto beans and kale. Heat until the kale is softened. Stir in the cilantro.
- Aji Verde Sauce: Blend up all aji verde sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. This sauce is spicy!
- Serve It Up: Serve in bowls with rice (optional) and a swirl of aji verde! Also delicious on its own or with a fried egg on top! Yummm.
Equipment
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- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Peruvian-Inspired
Keywords: plantains, plantain stew, pinto beans, aji verde, vegetarian stew, vegetarian soup, plantain recipe
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our creamy and delicious dairy-free recipes. Check it out!
Filed Under: All Recipes Bell Pepper Dairy-Free Dinner Jalapeño Kale Legume Lime Main Dishes Plant-Powered January Rice Stovetop Sugar-Free Tomato Vegetarian Winter
January 18, 2021
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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This looks so deeeeelish. Looks suuper healthy for people looking to lose weight and a healthy vegan meal. I used to love eating plantains growing up in Brooklyn. I never thought of adding plantains to stew. Perhaps that might be something to experiment with in the future to see how it turns out for me. 🙂
what is queso fresco
Queso fresco is a soft Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk usually served crumbled over dishes. I’d say the taste is similar to fresh mozzarella.
Tried this tonight and I have to say it was FANTASTIC! I did add small pinch of crushed red peppers near the end when tasting for salt. The green sauce is also AMAZING. I am so excited to try the beans and greens tacos tomorrow!!
So glad you enjoyed the stew, Kelly! Thanks so much for the comment!
This sounds very tasty. If you can’t find plantains could you use potatoes?
i’ll bet sweet potatoes would work great with this !
Nelson,
What made you think of “sweet potatoes?”
Ripe plantains are sweet so if you want that sweetness then sweet potato could work. If not and just want the carby goodness then regular potatoes would do.
Yes, potatoes will work! Enjoy!
This stew is SO good. Even my meat-loving husband had thirds of this meal. I was wondering – would this freeze well?
Hi Allison! Yes, this soup should freeze well!
when you figured the nutritional facts, what did you measure as one serving?
You list that this receipe much 6 servinhd
but how much is one serving. 1 cup, 1/2 cup, what? As a diabetic, this is important information too me. Thank you
We’d estimate a serving to be about 1 1/2 cups.
This sounds delicious! Do you have a recommendation to sub out the mayo?
I usually sub full fat Greek yogurt for Mayo. Sour cream works too but is also really fatty. When subbing Greek yogurt some things need more salt or oil for texture and flavor.
Maybe poy has a different idea though.
You could try Greek yogurt, sour cream, or an avocado!
I’ve never had plantains, so idk if I even like it. can I skip it or replace it with something else.
We’d recommend substituting in potatoes!
Do a post about your new design!! Love to hear about it!
Daniel,
I thought at first I was seeing things wrong when I first viewed the new Pinch of Yum blog layout. I absolutely love it. Maybe it’s time for me to get my website facelift done hopefully sometime this year, by no later than next summer.
Looks super tasty. But is it good for diabetic patients?
Hi Shuvo! We’d recommend talking to your doctor!
SO delicious! Will be making again next week. Only thing is I almost forgot to add the paprika and chili powder since in the written instructions it only mentioned adding the cumin! So quickly added those in a little later in the process. Thanks for this amazing recipe though. Loved getting those sweet plantain bites, yum!!
Thank you for always being creative and engaging with your inspiring food blogs, Lindsay. Had to double back around the block, and give you a shoutout for such great work! 🙂
Yes, we also love those pops of sweetness from the plantain! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try!
@Lindsey I noticed the paprika and chili powder were missing from the instructions too. Like Anchorman reading from the teleprompter, I need detailed direction.
This was really an impressive stew and will be a new winter staple for us. It’s a new and improved chili and the aji sauce gives it the creaminess without overloading with cheese which is my fault with standard chili.
We are so happy to hear that, Steph! And thank you the heads up on Step 3 of the recipe!
Just wanted to say…. LOVE the new look of the blog! looks so fresh and pretty, too! 🙂 Yay! 🙂
So glad to hear that, Christine! Thank you!
Love the new blog design! This recipe looks so flavorful- I love how your recipes are so approachable!
Thank you, Hilary! If you give the stew a try, we hope you enjoy it!
A new dinner staple!! I did not expect to love this recipe so much but I’m glad I tried it out. Consider me adding this aji verde sauce onto everything from now on — super delish on some over easy eggs!
So glad you enjoyed it, Delaney! Love the idea of adding the aji verde on eggs! YUM!
I made this yesterday –
Hard to believe something so simple to make is so full of deliciousness.
Will make this again for sure –
The Aji Verde sauce is addictive.
Awesome, Diana! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
This was delicious! We could not get enough of the green sauce and it was so easy to make. For step 3, I assumed that I was supposed to add all the spices in addition to the cumin, but that wasn’t super clear from the recipe instructions. Loved this one and this blog!
So glad you enjoyed the stew, Ellen! You are correct about Step 3. We’ll get the recipe updated!
Question: For the Aji Verde sauce, do you use the whole cilantro or just the leaves? We finally have a cold & snowy day in So Cal so this will be perfect for tonight.
We use mostly leaves, but we don’t mind if the stems sneak into the sauce too. We hope you love the stew!
This was so delicious! I don’t normally buy plantains but when one showed up in my CSA box shortly after reading this recipe I figured it was a sign. My husband is a big meat-and-potatoes guy and usually teasingly asks “where’s the meat?” when I make a vegetarian dish. But he had two helpings of this AND ate the leftovers the next day. I think it’s the aji verde sauce. So. Good. My kids loved it too, even my pickiest eater. Thank you!
It was totally meant to be! So glad the whole family enjoyed the recipe!
It’s such a great recipe. I will definitely try this.
I saw some nice and easy recipes on Amazon store also which I think others should try too.
You can check it out here : https://amzn.to/2NBIrsH
It’s for those who love keto recipes.
SO DELICIOUS!
I have never cooked with plantains before, happy I was feeling adventurous! I could see sweet potato as a good substitute if you can’t find plantains. I used spinach instead of kale which worked out great.
I opted out of the queso fresco to keep the Aji Verde dairy free! Spicy goodness!
So glad you enjoyed the stew, Denise!
@Lindsey I noticed the paprika and chili powder were missing from the instructions too. Like Anchorman reading from the teleprompter, I need detailed direction.
This was really an impressive stew and will be a new winter staple for us. It’s a new and improved chili and the aji sauce gives it the creaminess without overloading with cheese which is my fault with standard chili.
This was DELICIOUS! Reminded my husband and I of a meal we’d eaten in Ecuador years ago. I did tweak the aji verde a bit with extra lime, cilantro, etc (it was a tad Mayo-y for my taste). Would definitely make again.
So glad to hear it, Brittany!
Totally going to make this! I’m wanting to add in meat. What would you recommend and at what step in the process should the meat be added?
If the meat is cooked, we’d add it in Step 4. If the meat is uncooked, we’d add it in Step 2 and adjust the cooking time in the following steps to ensure the meat is cooked through. Enjoy!
Hi! This looks really yummy, plantains are my favorite thing ever! My question is unrelated. Do you think that a blog needs to be wordpress to be successful?
Please stay well! 🍎❤️
Hi Nancy! Great question. My knowledge is more on the food/recipe side of things, so I’d refer you to our sister site, Food Blogger Pro. While their content is food blog-focused, they offer plenty of great information about WordPress. Here’s a blog post that might be helpful to you: https://www.foodbloggerpro.com/blog/why-wordpress-food-blog/
This looks sooo good!! I never cooked with plantains before. Added it to my next week’s meal plan. 🙂
We hope you enjoy it, Elena!
Such a great Recipe! Thank You
great guys !! keep Rocking.