A southern-style okra stew with peppers, corn, brown rice and black-eyed peas. With 9 completely different crops in each serving, this wholesome stew is full of fiber, protein and greens.
Much like gumbo, this okra stew is a scrumptious technique to eat extra crops. With 9 completely different greens in every bowl, this stew delivers critical vitamin and taste.
It’s additionally certainly one of my favourite methods to take pleasure in okra! Cheap and wholesome, this corn and okra stew can also be nice for meal prep.
Why I really like this recipe
This okra stew jogs my memory of rising up in Virginia, although the one time I ate okra as a child was when it was deep-fried. Ha!
Tailored from the adventist gumbo recipe within the Blue Zone’s Cookbook, although this stew is heartier, spicier and far more flavorful in my view.
This one can also be a good way to eat extra crops, which is basically my general purpose of this house. I need everybody to eat extra greens, beans and complete grains, however I additionally know that consuming that means solely works if in addition they style good.
Every thing comes collectively in a single pot and is made with principally pantry elements.
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: Combining the all-purpose flour with olive oil is the bottom of this stew, making a roux that helps to offer physique and creaminess with none dairy.
- Celery, pepper and onion: Also called the “holy trinity” in Cajun recipes, it’s the spine of taste on this okra stew. I like to make use of crimson bell pepper for sweetness and shade, however yellow bell pepper may even work. Inexperienced can be utilized, however inexperienced bell peppers are barely extra bitter than the opposite colours.
- Smoked Paprika: I really like utilizing smoked paprika in vegetarian recipes because it provides a pleasant bacon-like, pork-like taste with none meat. It’s not the identical as common paprika or candy paprika.
- Frozen okra: Frozen okra is definitely most well-liked over contemporary okra as a result of freezing helps to interrupt down the okra’s cell partitions barely, which permits it to launch its pure thickening properties into the stew. I promise it’s not slimy!
- Black-eyed peas: I exploit canned beans right here for comfort, although drained. It’s a southern staple that provides protein and fiber. Kidney beans may also be used.
- Frozen corn: If you’ll find fire-roasted corn then I extremely suggest utilizing it right here because it provides a bit of extra smoky taste. Common frozen corn will work, in fact.
- Brown Rice: The rice provides fullness but in addition helps to thicken the stew! I cook dinner the rice individually in order that it cooks evenly. You may also use microwaved brown rice.
- Lemon Juice: A squeeze of acid on the finish is my secret ingredient in nearly all of my soup recipes. That and contemporary herbs stirred in, it makes such a distinction!
Substitution Notes
| Ingredient | Substitution | Notes |
| All-purpose flour | Gluten-free 1:1 flour mix | If you wish to make this recipe gluten-free, use a 1:1 GF flour mix |
| Black-eyed peas | Kidney beans or chickpeas | Will change the flavour, however all will work |
| Smoked Paprika | Common paprika + a pinch of chipotle powder | Should you don’t have smoked paprika, then including in a bit of chipotle powder will add an identical smokiness like smoked paprika does |
| Frozen okra | Contemporary okra, trimmed and sliced | Frozen is a lot simpler to make use of than contemporary! |
How you can Make this Okra Stew (Step by Step)
Step 1: Construct the roux
Warmth the olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium warmth. Add the flour and whisk till the combination is clean and begins to show golden, about 5 minutes. The roux is completed when it smells nutty and toasty and there’s no extra uncooked flour seen. Take care to not burn the roux!
Step 2: Prepare dinner the aromatics
Add the onion and cook dinner for five minutes or so, till softened. Then add within the bell pepper , garlic, spices and celery to the roux and cook dinner, stirring often till the greens till softened, about 5 minutes. Prepare dinner till greens have softened and aromatic.
Step 3: Add the broth
Add within the corn, okra, vegetable broth, brown rice and stir to completely incorporate into the roux. Deliver to a boil, then scale back warmth to low and simmer till the okra and corn are cooked by means of. Take away the bay leaves.
Step 4: End and serve
Take away from warmth and stir within the parsley, spinach and lemon juice, stirring to wilt the spinach. Style and modify for salt. I like so as to add in a number of dashes of sizzling sauce proper earlier than serving, which is able to add extra saltiness.
Skilled Ideas for the Finest Okra Stew
- Prepare dinner out the flour: A correctly cooked roux needs to be golden in shade and odor nutty. The roux helps to thicken the stew and in addition gives a yummy taste. If the flour remains to be seen within the roux, then the stew will style starchy.
- Use Reduce Okra: You’ll wish to use chopped okra as an alternative of complete okra; no must thaw first, simply open the bag and dump in.
- Slime: Okra does launch a pure mucilaginous compound, which additionally helps to thicken the stew. Cooked within the broth with the lemon juice, an acid!, makes the feel extra silky fairly than slimy.
- Use Pre-Cooked Rice: Prepare dinner the rice first after which add it to the stew close to the tip; this enables the rice to assist thicken the stew with out turning mushy.
How you can Serve
This okra stew is a whole meal, nevertheless it’s additionally nice with my vegan cornbread for a traditional pairing, or crusty bread to assist scoop up the thick stew.
It’s additionally nice over further rice to make it much more filling.
Regularly Requested Questions
What makes this stew thick?
Two issues work collectively right here, the roux (oil and flour) and the okra, which releases pure parts to assist make the stew thick.
Does this okra stew style slimy?
Not when cooked correctly. The mix of okra within the stew with the lemon makes the feel clean and silky, not slimy.
Is that this just like gumbo?
It’s gumbo like in taste, (and if you would like a gumbo recipe, try my vegan gumbo recipe) however not fairly the identical as gumbo.
Can I make this gluten-free
Sure, you possibly can substitute 1:1 gluten-free flour mix for the all-purpose flour within the roux.
Extra Stew Recipes
This hearty vegetarian okra stew is gumbo-inspired and constructed on an actual roux. Black-eyed peas, fire-roasted corn, and brown rice—prepared in below an hour.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped candy onion
- 4 massive garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly floor black pepper, every
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 crimson or yellow bell pepper, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels, ideally fire-roasted
- 1 can black-eyed peas, drained
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 12 ounce bag, frozen lower okra
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 lemon juiced
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In a dutch oven or massive soup pot, warmth the olive oil over medium warmth. Add the flour and whisk till clean. Prepare dinner, stirring typically, for 7-8 minutes till the roux has grow to be golden in shade and no extra seen flour stays.
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Add the onion and cook dinner one other 8 minutes or so, till the onion has softened. Add within the garlic, spices, bay leaves, celery and bell pepper. Prepare dinner one other 8 minutes or so, stirring typically, till the greens have began to softened.
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Stir within the corn, black-eyed peas, broth, okra, and cooked brown rice. Deliver to a boil, then scale back warmth to low. Prepare dinner one other 5 minutes, till the stew begins to thicken and the okra and corn have cooked by means of.
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Take away from warmth and stir within the spinach, parsley and lemon. The spinach ought to wilt within the warmth. Season to style, add salt/pepper as wanted, and take away the bay leaves. I like serving with a number of dashes of sizzling sauce!
Serving: 1servingEnergy: 294kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 8gFats: 10gSaturated Fats: 2gPolyunsaturated Fats: 1gMonounsaturated Fats: 7gSodium: 1331mgPotassium: 548mgFiber: 8gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 3099IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 3mg
