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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
This recipe is part of our Plant-Powered January series! Find out more about how to join in on the fun, or click here to sign up directly for our email list to receive weekly meal plans, grocery lists, and other resources.
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
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).
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.
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
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
Buy Now → 
Buy Now → - 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!
Delicious! It feels super hearty but not heavy, and the sauce takes it to another level! I was lazy and didn’t seed the jalapeño, but it still wasn’t overly spicy, so I probably won’t even bother in the future 🙂
Holy cow this was amazing! Great balance of flavors. Will definitely be in my regular rotation.
This is effin amazing! Not missing meat at all.
10/10 – Wasn’t familiar with cooked plantain. It is such a great and simple recipe!
Omg, this was so amazing!! This recipe has been sitting in my favorites for awhile now, and I’m sad I did not make it earlier!! The plantains add a really nice sweetness and acidity. The flavors delish. I did add some cayenne for a kick, highly recommend if you like heat.
I love this so much. I have to pack it all away right after it’s cooled or I’ll keep going back for bites after dinner. The perfect blend of sweet, salty, spicy, and creamy!
This was so good! My adventurous eater went back for seconds while my more timid tasters still gave decently positive reviews. My husband and I loved the tangy, spicy aji verde with the earthy flavors of the stew. Well done! Thank you!
This is one of my all time favorite weeknight recipes!! It holds well for 2 days after too for lunch over rice or even by itself – so yummy & loved by everyone I’ve made it for.
So great to hear, Olivia!
This was so different than anything I’ve made. It was delicious and I highly recommend. The aji verse sauce is dreamy. We will definitely make this vegetarian meal again.
I want to pass this along to a vegan friend. What would you recommend as a vegan substitute for the queso fresco?
Hi! I’m not sure I know of a good vegan substitute for queso fresco. Any type of vegan cheese would probably work well!
I’ve had this on the list to make for weeks and finally the planets/ingredients aligned. This is so good. I’m not a fan of pinto beans as I find them rather bland and boring, so I used cranberry (borlotti) beans instead. They’re perfect in this. I have several other types of beans from Rancho Gordo (best beans EVER), and may try this again with other beans since I will probably want to make this again before I order more beans from Rancho Gordo.
Thanks for the recipe!
If I don’t like cilantro, what can I sub as an alternate herb? I made the aji verde without the cilantro and felt like it was missing something… (the verde, and something herb-y)…
You could try parsley!
My plantain was a little too ripe, and I only used one, but I still didn’t enjoy them in this recipe. Loved the flavor of the stew overall, but my plantain was just too “banana-y” and I couldn’t get past it. I think I will try sweet potato next time, like someone else suggested. Thanks for consistently great ideas! Love love love 98% of what I make from your recipes 👌
Excellent recipe! I prepped the plantains, peppers, and aji verde more than a week ahead of time and they were still fine when I made the stew. So quick and easy. I also added chicken thighs and let them simmer until cooked, then shredded them and continued on with adding the plantains, then kale & beans. This is going to be frequent in our food rotation – so delicious! Loved it over rice with the aji verde on top. Thank you!
Just made this tonight and it is so delicious!! Sweet, smokey, a bit of spice all rolled into a warm meal topped with an amazing sauce!! So easy to make and budget friendly ingredients!
We loved this!!
I had never cooked with plantains before so it was cool to try something new. I served it with brown rice and sliced pork chop over the top (made a marinade with similar flavor profile) and it was a hit. As with most recipes, I quadrupled the garlic and at least doubled the spice amounts—not sure what our deal is but my husband and I always err on the side of more when it comes to garlic and heat!
Made this for lunch today and thought it was good but probably not something I’d make again. Found out I’m not a plantain fan. I wish I had read reviews first and added some avocado. My husband crunched up some tortilla chips on top of his for some texture and really enjoyed it.
Hi! For a less spicy Aji Verde sauce, could we use a hatch chili or even a can of green chilies instead of the jalapeño?
Sure! That should work just fine.
Amazing! My son (9) ate it and was like, “oh my gosh mom this literally melts in my mouth like not the phrase it really does!” 🤣
10/10 love this
Adorable! So glad it was a hit!
This might be my least favorite POY meal that I’ve ever eaten. Would have been horrible without the green sauce. We were not fans.
Sorry to hear that, Stephanie. We appreciate the feedback!
I love your recipes!!! This roast is exactly the same as my mother used to make and sooo good. The only thing I leave out is the tomato paste (personal taste) She made stew very similarly and added celery and carrots and additional tomato paste.
Finding a hearty vegetarian stew is basically something I had given up on until this. I just made it last night and all I can say is OMG! This is so delicious it’s honestly hard to believe there is no meat in it. I want to eat this non-stop now.
So glad you enjoyed it, Rita! Thanks for the comment!
Very good! Store was out of plantains, so we subbed unripe green bananas and the results were great! Made extra quick by meal prepping the sauce ahead of time per Meal Prep January.
So glad to hear it, Bekah!
This was so so good! And also easy. Thanks for the food processor tip! We didn’t have plantains but we did have white sweet potatoes so I used those instead. I used chopped frozen kale. I was surprised at how good this stew was, and the aji verde just brought it up another level. Yum!