Quick Green Chile Stew ♥ Recipe

Today's vegetable recipe: A quick-quick and flavorful stew made with canned beans and canned green chile sauce but surprisingly good. Weight Watchers 3 points. Vegan.

So here it is, the Sunday before Thanksgiving. For the next few days, kitchens all across the U.S. will be busy-abustle. The fridge will be packed. The counter space will be at a premium. The cook will be up to her elbows in flour. Family and friends will be arriving. And oh my, there's so much to do. Trouble is, despite all that food, there's nothing to eat, not til Thanksgiving dinner anyway!

So consider this a public service announcement: the one recipe to throw onto the stove to fill people's bellies, quickly, healthfully, flavorfully, inexpensively. Make time for this -- you'll be glad.

GREEN CHILI SAUCE is addictive stuff. For this quick 'n' easy stew, it's fine 'n' dandy to use stuff from a jar. But for something like the oh-so-gorgeous green chili burgers, you'll want to use homemade green chili sauce, also called salsa verde.

QUICK GREEN CHILE STEW

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 40 minutes
Makes about 12 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large poblano peppers, cored, seeds and membranes trimmed, chopped
Water as needed, a tablespoon or two at a time

15 ounce can black beans
15 ounce can kidney beans
15 ounce can chickpeas
15 ounce can black-eyed peas
15 ounce can chopped tomatoes (I used two, one would have been better)

15 ounce can or jar of green chile sauce
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (1/2 a 15 ounce can)

Something creamy - sour cream, cottage cheese
Chopped cilantro

In a very large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil til shimmery on MEDIUM HIGH. Add the onions and peppers as they're prepped, stir to coat with fat. Cover and cook until golden, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed to prevent burning. Add the beans (including the liquids) and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add the green chile sauce and pumpkin and return to a boil. Serve topped with something creamy and chopped cilantro.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE
Per Cup: 171Cal; 11g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 838mg Sodium; 30g Carb; 8g Fiber; 4g Sugar; 8g Protein; Weight Watchers 3 points (technically 3.5 Weight Watchers points)

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION
Adapted from The Cornbread Gospels by Crescent Dragonwagon

KITCHEN NOTES
This soup looked pretty-pretty until the pumpkin was added and muddied the color. Next time, I'll skip it entirely.
Many soup recipes taste better the next day, after the flavors have had a chance to meld. Not this one -- it tastes great straight off the stove.

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MORE HEARTY SOUP RECIPES
~ Oven-Cooked Lentil Soup ~
~ 15-Bean Soup ~
~ Lentil Soup Vincent from Kitchen Parade ~

~ more soup recipes ~

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