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Jump to Recipe PrintThis Vegan & Vegetarian Cowboy Beans Recipe Is
- Smoky
- Sweet
- Hearty
- Satisfying
- Loaded with Vegetables
- Flavorful
- A great recipe to use up canned beans
- Plant-based and high protein
Vegetarian Meal Prep Bean Recipes For the Win!
This cowboy bean stew is the perfect recipe for hearty 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 homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time.
There’s a whole section 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.
What’s In This Vegetarian & Vegan Cowboy Beans Recipe?
See the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
- Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity 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 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.
- Chili powder
- 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
How Do I Make Vegan Cowboy Beans Stew?
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or heavy lidded pot) over low heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté 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, and vegetable stock. 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 fresh herbs and jalapenos (if desired) and enjoy!
Canned Beans Versus Homemade
While I love the convenience of canned beans, I usually cook dry beans from scratch in my pressure cooker – the texture is better and it’s more affordable. I use a larger 7.5-Quart Instant Pot which is larger than the standard model so I can batch cook more at a time.
If you don’t already have one, the Instant Pot works wonders for cooking dried beans fast, no soaking required! While canned beans are super convenient, they are often loaded with sodium. If you buy canned beans, I always recommend using a no salt added variety so you can control the amount of salt in your dish.
Next time you reach for the canned beans, think about investing in a pressure cooker instead! Homemade beans are incredibly cost efficient, and you can add seasonings and spices to the beans while they cook for extra flavor.
More Vegetarian High Protein Bean Recipes You’ll Love
Everything Bagel Hummus Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Spinach Lentil Salad with Vinaigrette Recipe (Vegetarian)
Turmeric Hummus Recipe with Black Pepper
Creamy Kidney Bean Salad Recipe
Chopped Salad with Chickpeas Recipe (Gluten Free, Vegetarian)
Share This Vegetarian Cowboy Beans Recipe
As always, if you make this vegan 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 Beans (Vegan/Vegetarian)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sweet 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 Diced Tomatoes
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 cup sweet corn
- 3 cups Vegetable Stock
- 2/3 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 jalapeno sliced, optional for heat
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven (or heavy lidded pot) over low heat. Add the olive oil, onions, and garlic and sauté 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, and vegetable stock. 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 fresh herbs and jalapenos (if desired) and enjoy!
Nutrition
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!
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Made it for work for tomorrow But haven’t tasted it yet.
This is a delicious recipe which provide needed protein and fiber
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