This Pumpkin Veggie Stew is perfect for keeping you warm on a chilly day! This comforting and filling recipe has plenty of protein and vegetables, plus it's vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free.
One of the things I love about autumn is all the amazing pumpkin recipes that start to appear. Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cookies, and of course, my favorite, Pumpkin Veggie Stew!
I partnered with Imperfect Produce to develop this recipe as part of their effort to create the best recipes for using up leftovers and pantry items. Check out their free e-cookbook called Whole Fridge Cooking, which features many ways to reduce food waste.
With spring being just around the corner, I started going through the pantry to look at what I have in stock and what foods I need to use up, especially the canned goods I bought last fall.
What I found was a lot of canned beans, canned tomato, and canned pumpkin. So I thought of creating a recipe that used all of these ingredients, which is how this Pumpkin Veggie Stew came about. This recipe uses seven cans in total, great for a head start in clearing out the pantry!
I made plenty of this pumpkin veggie stew, which some might call pumpkin chili, so that there would be leftovers throughout the week. The flavors develop over time, so leftovers are even more delicious. You can definitely taste the pumpkin!
🥘 Ingredients
Here's what you're going to need to make this recipe:
- jalapeno pepper - use gloves when handling the pepper, it can irritate your skin and eyes. Be sure to keep your hands away from your face!
- red bell peppers, or you can try green bell peppers
- dried oregano, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika
- fire-roasted crushed tomatoes with juice, or organic crushed tomatoes with juice
- diced tomatoes with juice, be sure not to drain the tomatoes, you want to add the juice!
- pumpkin puree, be sure not to use pumpkin pie filling, it's not the same.
- cans of kidney beans, pinto beans, and black beans; if you have two cans of one type of bean, that's fine, just use three cans total.
🥣 Instructions
Measure and prep all the ingredients and measure them. Remember to read the recipe all the way through before you start cooking! This will make things go much smoother since there are a lot of ingredients.
- Start by preheating a large stockpot on medium heat for several minutes, then add the chopped onion and salt. Stir immediately, and saute for approximately 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The salted onion will release water. If you notice browning keep stirring, and if the browning does not get absorbed by the liquid, add a tablespoon or two of water.
- Add chopped garlic, jalapeno, and chopped red bell pepper. Stir occasionally for several minutes, taking care not to let the garlic burn. Add a tablespoon or two of water if needed to prevent vegetables from sticking.
- Add the dried herbs and spices, and stir for 30 to 60 seconds to release flavors.
- Stir in all the tomatoes, pumpkin, beans, and black pepper.
- Cook for several minutes on medium until bubbling. Reduce heat slightly to medium-low, and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to let the flavor develop. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
♻️ Variations
- You can substitute the canned pumpkin with roasted or steamed pumpkin or butternut squash.
- Add one to three dried Arbol chiles to the stew as it is simmering. When the stew is ready, you can take out the chiles, or you can let them cool briefly, chop them, and add them back into the stew for extra flavor and spice.
- Use any leftover veggies to make this Pumpkin Veggies Stew
Storage
- Refrigerate the stew within two hours of cooking. Let it cool on the counter first.
- Refrigerate the bean stew promptly in covered airtight containers.
- Properly stored, the stew will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.
FAQ
Freeze it in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags for up to 4 to 6 months.
Cooked bean stew that has been thawed in the fridge can be kept for an additional 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator before cooking. Bean stew that was thawed in the microwave or in cold water should be eaten immediately.
I love to serve this stew with a crusty loaf of sourdough and plant-based butter, or even better, this freshly baked cornbread
More recipes
In the mood for more comfort food? Take a look at this tasty Sweet Potato and Bean Stew.
Be sure to try this super delicious Vegan Butternut Squash Chili with Vegan Southwest Skillet Cornbread!
If you make this Pumpkin Veggie Stew, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchenrecipes, so I don't miss it!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Veggie Stew
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoon water available, if needed
- 3 large garlic cloves chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper minced
- 2 red bell peppers seeded and chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 28-oz can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes with juice
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 15-oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 15-oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz can pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 to 3 dried Arbol chiles optional
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lime juiced
- 4 sliced green onions
- 1 chopped avocado if desired
- 1 handful chopped cilantro if desired
Instructions
- Heat a large stockpot on medium heat for 3 minutes. Add chopped onion and fine sea salt. Saute for approximately 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you notice browning keep stirring, and if the browning does not get absorbed by the liquid, add in a tablespoon or two of water.
- Add chopped garlic, jalapeno, and chopped red bell pepper. Stir for 3 to 5 minutes. Do not let garlic burn, add small increments of water if needed to prevent vegetables from sticking.
- Add dried oregano, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. Stir for 30 to 60 seconds continuously to release flavors.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, pumpkin, kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, dried Arbol chiles if using, and black pepper.
- Cook on stovetop for several minutes on medium until bubbling. Reduce heat slightly to medium-low, and let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to adjust the seasonings and ingredients to your own taste and with what you have in your own pantry.
- At the time of serving, stir in juiced lime, top with sliced green onions, avocado, and/or cilantro if desired.
- Add one to three dried Arbol chiles to the stew as it is simmering. When the stew is ready, you can take out the chiles, or you can let them cool briefly, chop them, and add them back into the stew for extra flavor and spice.
Nutrition
Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.
Christine says
Your blog is beautiful, love it ❤️
Emily says
Thank you so much for your kind words, Christine!