Easy to make, large batch, great for leftovers and inexpensive! This hearty stew is the perfect meal for guests or large families, or making something that leaves leftovers for the entire week.
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time6 hourshrs
Total Time6 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Comfort Food, Fusion
Keyword: beans, bell peppers, bok choy, cabbage, carrots, cashews, celery, chipotle, kale, limes, pinto beans, spicy food, tomatoes
Servings: 10Servings
Calories: 126kcal
Author: Jen deHaan
Ingredients
3-4cupspotatoescut into chunks
1 1/2cupsbeanspinto or similar, dry
1cupcarrotscut into chunks
1cupcelerycut into chunks
2cupsbell peppercut into chunks
2cupstomatocut into chunks
1onion
2-3cupskalebok choy, or cabbage (for last 20-30 minutes of cooking)
Soak your cashews using your regular method (or, you can also use unsoaked cashews).
Add the vegetable broth and 2 cups of water to the slow cooker pot. Note: Because sodium will make beans tough during cooking, you should try to use a very low or no-sodium broth. If your broth has sodium and you are using a pre-made mix (such as a paste or powder), add it in the final hour of cooking instead, adding it to the chipotle-cashew mixture.
Begin soaking cashews in hot water.
Cut the potatoes, carrots, celery, bell pepper, tomato and onion into chunks and then put them in the slow cooker.
Add the dry beans to the mixture, making sure there is broth covering all of the contents (about an inch of liquid or so - add more vegetable broth if required.)
Cook at high for 5-6 hours, or at low for 8-9 hours. See final two steps for the final hour of cooking.
During last 30-60 minutes of cooking
Drain and rinse the soaked cashews, and add the cashews, arrowroot powder, garlic, and chipotle to a high speed blender with about 1/4 cup of water. Blend at high speed until smooth (adding some liquid if needed), and then whisk it into the slow cooker broth so it is well combined.
Cut the bok choy, kale, or cabbage into small pieces and add it to the stew. You can also mix it into the hot stew when serving if you prefer more of a raw leaf texture.
Stir well and serve!
Notes
This is for a large slow cooker. You may need to half this recipe if you are using a small cooker. Arrowroot powder is added to thicken the broth, and is entirely optional. I use arrowroot because it is good if you freeze your stew, but you can also use corn starch or potato starch. I usually start with 2 tablespoons, wait for 5 minutes, and more if needed. This meal will also thicken while it cooks due to the potatoes. Sodium content will depend greatly on what you use as broth in the recipe. You can make your own of course, but make sure you read the label (for both sodium and oil) if you use a carton or spice mix or paste.