VEGAN ARGENTINIAN PUCHERO STEW (Nutritious, WFPB)
This Vegan Argentinian Puchero is a comforting recipe perfect for cold days. With a lot of veggies, it's an easy, nutritious one-pot meal!
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried chickpeas (soaked overnight and drained)
- 2 onions (large, 1 chopped and 1 cut into quarters)
- 1 leek (sliced)
- 1 bell pepper (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves ( minced)
- 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 3 QT low sodium vegetable broth (2.8 liters of low sodium vegetable broth, or water, or a combination)*
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 corn cobs (cut into 2-inch disks)
- 2 potatoes (2 big or 4 small, peeled and cut into chunks)
- 3 carrots (peeled and cut into chunks)
- 1 cup butternut squash (or pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks)
- 2 zucchinis (sliced)
- 5 oz baby spinach (5 oz or 142 g, cleaned and chopped)
- Salt and pepper ( to taste)
Instructions
- Prep the chickpeas and veggies: To start making the stew puchero, soak the chickpeas overnight and drain them. Prepare your vegetables by washing and chopping them.
- Prepare the Broth: In a large pot, sauté the chopped onion, leek, and red bell pepper with water and a pinch of salt over medium heat until the onion is translucent. Next, add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Then, add balsamic vinegar, pour the vegetable broth (or water) into the pot and bring it to a gentle boil. Add the bay leaves, salt, and pepper for flavor.
- Add Legumes and Corn: Put the chickpeas and corn disks into the boiling broth. Reduce heat and let them simmer for 30 min.
- Incorporate Root Vegetables: Add the quartered onion, potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash to the pot. Try the broth, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper according to your preference. Let the mixture simmer until the vegetables and legumes are nearly tender (around 15 minutes).
- Add Zucchinis: Add the sliced zucchinis when the root vegetables and legumes are almost done. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes or until the zucchinis are tender.
- Mix in Spinach: A few minutes before turning off the heat, add the baby spinach and stir it into the mixture, letting it wilt in the hot soup.
- Serve: Adjust the seasoning if needed once all the vegetables are tender and the flavors melded together. Remove the bay leaf before serving. Ladle the vegan puchero into bowls, ensuring each serving gets a mix of the various vegetables and legumes. Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- * If you are using only water (or more water than broth), you will need to add more flavor, like vegan, fat-free Vegetable Bouillon Powder, or add salt and herbs like thyme, more bay leaves, rosemary, or garlic powder to compensate for the missing flavor.
- Add more water or vegetable broth to the preparation to cover the vegetables during cooking.
- Check the tenderness of the vegetables and chickpeas to ensure they're cooked to your liking. Adjust the cooking time accordingly, if needed.
- You can serve this puchero with some parsley as garnish.
- Leftover vegan puchero can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Ensure that it's stored in an airtight container to maintain freshness. Eating leftovers as soon as possible is always best to enjoy their quality and flavor. When ready to eat, reheat only the portion you plan to consume, leaving the rest in the refrigerator to maintain freshness.
- You can freeze the puchero. Cool it down, portion it into freezer-safe containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat on the stove. Freezing may alter vegetable textures slightly, but it'll remain tasty.
- Total time doesn't include overnight soaking time for chickpeas.