Healthy. Easy. One pot! Nachos. Garlicky. Crema. These words and descriptors are all applicable to today’s recipe, and we could go on and on. This simple-yet-satisfying Mexican Black Bean Stew has just really got it all going for it, and I’m excited for y’all to get into this one. Winter makes me want to make ALL THE SOUPS AND STEWS. So, get ready for a whole squadron of stick-to-your-ribs recipes that just really fit the bill.

In This Post

Today, we’re taking our taste buds south of the border and infusing a simple pot of beans with incredible Mexican flavors and ingredients. Things like poblano peppers, chipotle powder, garlic, smoky paprika, and a (handy and convenient) store-bought taco seasoning. Read on for the recipe rundown or just jump ahead to the main event.

Mexican Black Bean Stew

Remember when Rachael Ray used to call things like this, “stewps?” I loved that as a kid. I think today’s recipe would qualify as such, actually, in that it can really be either one. I tend to add less water, as it just dilutes flavors and I like a thick and rich base. But honestly you can add nearly twice as much water as I call for in my recipe and it would eat much more soup-like. Up to you!

This recipe also happens to closely resemble a basic Columbian style black bean stew, which is traditionally built on beans, onions, and garlic. But the addition of things like poblano peppers, taco seasoning, tortilla chips, crema, and chipotle really take this to a much more Mexican place.

This is a fantastic one-pot meal that can be as big or little as you want it to be. I call for a few things in the recipe that I’d say are more optional than required, but they’re ingredients that greatly contribute to achieving max flavor in minimal time, a hallmark mission here on My Kitchen Little.

Vegetarian Recipe Tricks & Tips for Maximum Flavor

Stock Concentrate: You can use a liquid variety like Better Than Bouillon’s Roasted Garlic stock concentrate. Or, you can simply use a vegetarian (or chicken, if you don’t care if it’s totally veggie-based) bouillon cube. Ingredients like these, to me, really help achieve a greater depth of flavor in vegetarian recipes where we’re missing the flavor that meat would provide. You certainly don’t need meat to get great flavor, you just have to find alternative tasty ways to infuse your vegetarian dishes with as much of it as possible, so things don’t feel lacking in any way. Stock concentrates really help with this. I also do this in my Chicken Cheesesteaks, my Easy and Fast Chicken Bolognese, and my Lemon Butter Chicken with Herbs.
Lots of Spices: This recipe is a nice one for using up those spice drawer dwellers. I’m talking about the cumin, the paprika, the chipotle powder (highly recommend you keep a jar of this around for smoky spice). If you really don’t care much for spicy heat, you can omit the chipotle powder and use a good chili powder instead. I love ancho chili powder myself, which is a ground, dried powder made from ancho chilies (dried poblanos). We’re using fresh poblanos in this recipe (my favorite pepper) so a nice ancho chili powder would just make sense here. If you’ve got it, use it! I also lean on my spice squad big time in my Cook Off Winning Chili and my Texas-style Oven Roasted beef Brisket.
Store-bought taco seasoning: For little more than $1, you can grab a single packet of pre-mixed taco seasoning that will add glorious flavor to this stew. It works wonders on these beans, y’all.
Lots of tomato paste: I go through an obscene amount of tomato paste in MKL, as it’s just a fantastic flavor-booster in all the things. I’m actually going to show you my favorite pantry pasta soon which basically just uses tomato paste and only tomato paste to achieve a depth of caramelized tomatoey flavor. But in this Mexican-style Black Bean Stew, it simply supports and elevates the two fresh tomatoes that go in the pot. Two kinds of tomatoes, working together in happy harmony. Woo.

What You’ll Need to Make This Stew

The cast of characters here looks a tad lengthy, I’ll admit. But it’s mostly spices and seasonings, many which you probably have on hand already. There’s nothing like a great soup or stew to really help you use up some of the spice drawer dwellers, right?

So, if you think you can swap something you’ve already got and need to use up in place of what I call for, then go for it! No worries. Two cans of

How to Make this Black Bean Stew

This is a straightforward, no muss/no fuss one-pot meal, and the recipe is very streamlined and simple (we love this!). We’ll cook up the aromatics in a bit of olive oil (you can use any neutral-flavored, high smoke point cooking oil that you like). By aromatics, I am referring to the onion and the poblanos. Garlic is another aromatic we’ll use in this stew recipe as well.

Next, we’l add in some fresh tomatoes, whose juicy acidity will brighten the whole thing beautifully. A handy store-bought taco seasoning goes in as well, along with the tomato paste (lots of it), and the stock concentrate, which I’ll say is “optional but highly recommended.”

These ingredients will cook for a minute and then we’ll add in the rest of the spice squad, as well as the fresh garlic. I always add fresh garlic toward the last minute or two of a saute because it tends to burn and that will quickly ruin an otherwise great pot of something. Anyway, these dried spices need a minute to “bloom,” or really activate in that hot oil. This is like an awakening, mostly, and it will help the dried spices toast up and be all that they can be.

Next, in goes the water. I call for just 1 cup, as I personally like a very thick and rich stew, but just know that you can really add as much as you like. The more you add, the more diluted the flavor will be though. So, just keep that in mind. The lid goes on at this point, so the stew can stew, and this is when I like to whip up the crema and simple oven-toasted nachos.

What is Mexican Crema?

If you can find pre-made Mexican crema in your store, then I’d say use that in place of the sour cream that I call for here. It is thicker and richer than American sour cream, and certainly more authentic in a Mexican-style recipe. It is pretty widely available now, so chances are your local supermarket will carry it.

For this recipe, we’re going to use 1/3 of the grated garlic and a squeeze of fresh lime to add loads of flavor to the crema (or sour cream). It makes for the perfect cool and creamy complement to the smoky, spicy stew.

FULL DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil (two turns of the pan) to a large pot or deep skillet set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and poblano, season with some salt and pepper, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until tender.

Add the diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, tomato paste, and veggie stock concentrate/bouillon cube and cook for a couple of minutes. Add ⅔ of the grated garlic, the chili powder, cumin, paprika, and chipotle powder. Cook for about a minute, stirring, to toast and activate those spices.

Add 1 cup water, stir to combine, put the lid on, and reduce the heat to low so things can stew properly.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, remaining garlic, and the juice of half the lime. Season with salt and pepper.

Lay the chips across a large sheet pan in a single layer. Top with the cheese and, if using, some pickled jalapenos. Bake just until the chips are nice and toasted and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown; about 6 minutes or so.

Taste the stew and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Serve in bowls, topped with some of the garlicky lime cream, some cheesy nachos, and cilantro.