I struggled with what to call this dish and settled on bean and veggie hodgepodge, which isn't quite accurate because you don't need to stick with vegetables and beans, although that's all I had in the house when I made it. A great addition is a leftover hambone with lots of meat still clinging to it. Otherwise, serve the dish with brown rice for a complete protein meal.
You don't need to stick with vegetables and beans for this flexible veggie hodgepodge. Soaking and rinsing the beans overnight will greatly reduce the cooking time. However, in staying with the theme of the "The Well-Stocked Pantry," this meal can also be made after coming home from work with no prior ideas or preparation for dinner. In which case soaking and rinsing are not necessary, but not oaked, dry beans will need between an hour and 15 minutes to 2 and a half hours cooking time to become digestible.
2 pounds of dried black beans (or pinto, white or black eyed beans)
1 cup of broth (chicken, vegetable or beef)
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, quartered
1 onion, chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite size cubes
3-5 ribs of celery, cut into chunks
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of salt
White or black pepper to taste
Brown rice to serve (cooked as per package directions)
Rinse and sort the beans, removing debris and shriveled specimens. Place in a very large pot or Dutch oven (dried beans will expand as they cook) with enough broth and water to generously cover. You will likely need to add more water as the beans cook. Add the quartered onion, garlic and bay leaf. If you are using a hambone add it at this time, you can leave the meaty parts on the bone. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary, for 45 minutes to an hour.
Add the rest of your vegetables and spices and allow to simmer for another 45 minutes or until the beans are soft and the vegetables are tender. The vegetables will release water as they cook, so there is no need to add any more water to the pot prior to adding them, or while they are simmering. However, if the hodgepodge begins to stick or is hard to stir, add more water and broth until the desired consistency is reached.
If you are using a hambone, remove it before adding the rest of the vegetables. While everything is simmering, remove the meat from the bone and cut or shred it into bite size pieces. Add it back to the pot and allow to heat through.
Serve garnished with diced tomatoes, sour cream and avocado slices. It's tasty alongside garlic bread or cornbread.
Other vegetable additions to consider: baby carrots, red or green peppers, pearl onions (instead of chopped onion), different winter squash varieties such as acorn or pumpkin.
Summer squashes like zucchini are also tasty, but delicate vegetables should be cut into large chunks and added during the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
If you only have one pound of black beans in the pantry, you probably do not need to cut back on the vegetables if you don't want to – but of course you can eye everything out to your own taste. If all you have is canned beans, use at least two cans, only one onion and simmer the ingredients together until everything is tender… probably about a half hour.
I struggled with what to call this dish and settled on bean and veggie hodgepodge, which isn't quite accurate because you don't need to stick with vegetables and beans, although that's all I had in the house when I made it. A great addition is a leftover hambone with lots of meat still clinging to it. Otherwise, serve the dish with brown rice for a complete protein meal.
Soaking and rinsing the beans overnight will greatly reduce the cooking time. However, in staying with the theme of the "The Well-Stocked Pantry," this meal can also be made after coming home from work with no prior ideas or preparation for dinner. In which case soaking and rinsing are not necessary, but not oaked, dry beans will need between an hour and 15 minutes to 2 and a half hours cooking time to become digestible.
2 pounds of dried black beans (or pinto, white or black eyed beans)
1 cup of broth (chicken, vegetable or beef)
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, quartered
1 onion, chopped
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite size cubes
3-5 ribs of celery, cut into chunks
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of salt
White or black pepper to taste
Brown rice to serve (cooked as per package directions)
Rinse and sort the beans, removing debris and shriveled specimens. Place in a very large pot or Dutch oven (dried beans will expand as they cook) with enough broth and water to generously cover. You will likely need to add more water as the beans cook. Add the quartered onion, garlic and bay leaf. If you are using a hambone add it at this time, you can leave the meaty parts on the bone. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally and adding water as necessary, for 45 minutes to an hour.
Add the rest of your vegetables and spices and allow to simmer for another 45 minutes or until the beans are soft and the vegetables are tender. The vegetables will release water as they cook, so there is no need to add any more water to the pot prior to adding them, or while they are simmering. However, if the hodgepodge begins to stick or is hard to stir, add more water and broth until the desired consistency is reached.
If you are using a hambone, remove it before adding the rest of the vegetables. While everything is simmering, remove the meat from the bone and cut or shred it into bite size pieces. Add it back to the pot and allow to heat through.
Serve garnished with diced tomatoes, sour cream and avocado slices. It's tasty alongside garlic bread or cornbread.
Other vegetable additions to consider: baby carrots, red or green peppers, pearl onions (instead of chopped onion), different winter squash varieties such as acorn or pumpkin.
Summer squashes like zucchini are also tasty, but delicate vegetables should be cut into large chunks and added during the last 15 minutes of cooking time.
If you only have one pound of black beans in the pantry, you probably do not need to cut back on the vegetables if you don't want to – but of course you can eye everything out to your own taste. If all you have is canned beans, use at least two cans, only one onion and simmer the ingredients together until everything is tender… probably about a half hour.
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