This cowboy bean stew is a high protein lunch or dinner, made with pinto, navy, and kidney beans and loaded with fresh vegetables & spices! A healthy high protein recipe with canned beans and fresh or frozen veggies that is ready in about 30 minutes.
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I’ve been making tons of new beans recipes lately, and this cowboy bean stew has been one of my favorites. It’s a hearty and plant-based dinner that comes together quickly, and will keep you full all day. This recipe is high in fiber and protein, and has a great texture from using 3 different kinds of beans. This stew is like meatless chili, but has a fun southwest flavor from the barbecue sauce.
This Cowboy Bean Stew Recipe Is:
- Smoky
- Sweet
- Hearty
- Satisfying
- Loaded with Vegetables
- Flavorful
- A great recipe to use up canned beans
- Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, and high protein
Meal Prep Bean Recipes For the Win!
This cowboy bean stew is the perfect recipe for healthy homemade meal prep. I am a huge fan of meal prepping, batch cooking, and making recipes ahead. I love the convenience of cooking once and being able to enjoy healthy homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time. There’s a whole section of TheHerbeevore.com dedicated to my favorite tried & true meal prep recipes. With just a little planning and prep, you can have a week’s worth of recipes ready in the time it would take to make one portion. Just batch cook, divide into individual containers, and place in the fridge or freezer for later! I also made a list of my favorite meal prep products on Amazon that I use weekly. They make cooking easy peasy.
What’s In This Vegan Cowboy Bean Stew Recipe?
- Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry. For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
- Onion
- Garlic: I use fresh garlic when I have it, and this great jarred organic garlic when I don’t have fresh. It’s actually super convenient to have pre-chopped garlic on hand for quick and easy meal prep.
- Pinto Beans: are super creamy and protein-rich addition to this chili. I like these low sodium beans which are great because they are healthy, boxed (aka eco-friendly!) and sustainably packaged.
- No Salt Added Kidney Beans: These boxed kidney beans are a really fantastic alternative to canned beans. I only use no salt or low sodium beans which gives this dish a really great flavor without the salt.
- No Salt Added White Beans: like the kidney beans above, these low sodium cannellini beans are a great addition to this soup.
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Diced Tomatoes: I only use no salt added diced tomatoes, these boxed tomatoes are really great to stock up on! I like boxed tomatoes better because they are BPA free and more eco-friendly than aluminum cans. If you haven’t read about the dangers of consuming foods stored in BPA cans, head over to Nutrition Facts to read more.
- Bell Pepper
- Corn
- Reduced Sodium Vegetable Stock or Bouillon: I love this low sodium vegetable base for my recipes because it has a great flavor and is lower in sodium. I only develop my recipes with low sodium ingredients so the ingredients shine. You can always add salt to a recipe if it needs it, but it’s almost impossible to take it out! By starting with a low sodium broth or bouillon, you can build bright vibrant flavors and add more salt later if needed.
- BBQ Sauce: We absolutely love this fantastic BBQ sauce that you can find on Amazon… I like this one you can get online here! It has a nice spiciness and isn’t too sweet – perfect for this recipe.It’s vegan, gluten free, paleo, naturally sweet – so it gets the OK for my pantry.
- Jalapeno
Easy Recipes with Frozen Vegetables
I used a few frozen vegetables (bell pepper and corn) for this recipe instead of fresh produce. Frozen produce is a great option for finding fresh and flavorful vegetables in the off season. By using freezer ingredients, I can stock up when they are on sale, and use them in all kinds of great dishes. It saves me a trip to the store, and I can add amazing veggies right into the recipe. Frozen vegetables are often picked at peak ripeness, so they are a much better option than canned. Check out all my recipes that use Freezer Ingredients on The Herbeevore – great for those nights when you want dinner ready fast! And check out my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples for long-lasting staples that I always keep on hand.
How Do I Make Vegan Cowboy Beans Stew?
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over low heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the beans, chili powder, onion powder, diced tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, vegetable stock, and barbecue sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes over low heat.
- After the stew has cooked for 30 minutes and the veggies have softened, stir in the barbecue sauce. Test stew and adjust seasoning to taste.
- When ready to serve, top with jalapenos if desired and enjoy!
Other Healthy High Protein Beans Recipes You’ll Love
Get the Same Ingredients I Use for My Cowboy Bean Soup Recipe:
As always, if you make this vegan and gluten free cowboy bean stew recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Cowboy Bean Stew (Vegan, GF)
This cowboy bean stew is a high protein lunch or dinner, made with pinto, navy, and kidney beans and loaded with fresh vegetables & spices! A healthy high protein recipe with canned beans and fresh or frozen veggies that is ready in about 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 14 ounce can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 14 ounce can navy beans drained and rinsed
- 1 14 ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 cup corn
- 10 cups water or vegetable stock
- 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 jalapeno sliced
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over low heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the beans, chili powder, onion powder, diced tomatoes, bell pepper, corn, vegetable stock, and barbecue sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes over low heat.
- After the stew has cooked for 30 minutes and the veggies have softened, stir in the barbecue sauce. Test stew and adjust seasoning to taste.
- When ready to serve, top with jalapenos if desired and enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 260kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 11gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 858mgPotassium: 700mgFiber: 10gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 706IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 3mg
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This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the brands that support The Herbeevore and our beehives!