Three Sisters Stew! Welcome to cozy stew season, and we’ve got just the stew to keep you warm and sated.

Low-fat, nutritious, and comforting, this Three Sisters Stew is brimming with plant powerhouse goodness and fragrant spices. Hearty beans, corn, and butternut squash shine in this traditional Native American stew. It’s delightfully earthy, simmered to perfection, and soothing on a chilly day.

Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients and gluten free.

Hi there, Ameera here!

We received a request from Essie to make a Three Sisters Stew.  Mom and I got right on it as it sounded delicious. Our is based upon the Three Sisters Stew posted on the Chickasaw Nation website.

You gotta give this one a try!

Tips for Success:

• Flavor Profile: The Three Sisters Stew (or soup) is a traditional Native American recipe.  Ours was adapted from the Chickasaw Nation recipe (on their website). The term “Three Sisters” refers to the three main ingredients which are maize (corn), beans, and squash.  There are tons of variations regarding the seasonings. This stew is delicious, hearty, and naturally low fat.
• Oil-Free Recipes: This stew has great flavor.  Because it is low in fat, we suggest tasting it 3 times before adding any additional seasonings.  Oil-free, low-fat dishes tend to build on the palate.  By tasting this stew 3 times, you have a better chance of not over-seasoning or under-seasoning it.  Recipes with oil coat the palate making the spices and herbs feel smooth and more pleasing.  Removing oil from dishes requires more finesse to ensure that a dish is properly seasoned.  Tasting a dish 3 times allows the cook the chance to better understand the flavor profile and if the flavor of the dish builds on the front-end or back-end of the palate.
• Low-Fat Dish Expectations: This dish was designed to be low in fat. Because it is low in fat, you are not going to experience that endorphin rush associated with eating high-fat foods when eating this dish. It is very tasty for what it is, and that is a low-fat dish. We just want to make sure that our Readers recognize this when contemplating making this recipe.  If you wish to make it more indulgent, crush some tortilla chips over top the stew on individual servings.
• Regular Chili Powder: Feel free to use your favorite chili powder, just be sure to select a mild one and not one that has a lot of heat to it.
• Potatoes: We used red-skinned potatoes; however, feel free to use peeled Russet potatoes, gold potatoes, or simply cubed general purpose potatoes.
• Frozen Butternut Squash: We used cubed frozen butternut squash found in the frozen section of most grocery stores.  We used them simply for convenience as they cook quickly.
• Fresh Butternut Squash: You can use fresh butternut squash, but the stew will have to cook much longer.  If you use fresh butternut squash, we suggest either microwaving, baking, or steaming them until tender and then add them at the end to allow them to maintain their shape.
• Butternut Squash Substitutions: You can substitute yellow crook-neck squash; add the thick-sliced yellow crock-neck squash near the last 10 minutes as it cooks much faster than potatoes. Cook longer until the squash reaches the desired tenderness.
• Beans: This recipe is very versatile; you can add your favorite beans or use all of the same type of bean if you wish.
• Baking Soda: Baking soda is often used as a neutralizer for dishes that contain a lot of acidity, typically from tomatoes.  We use it in this dish to remove some of the tomato acidity (from the petite diced tomatoes) without losing the tomatoey flavor. When you add it, the mixture may bubble up, then settle down as it neutralizes the acidity. However, if you prefer that ‘tinny’ flavor that comes from canned tomatoes, then leave out the baking soda or perhaps use a tiny pinch.
• Flavors to Marry: Make sure you allow at least 5 minutes for the flavors to marry.  The flavors continue to develop once the soup slightly cools.

Leftovers and Freezing:

Leftovers will generally keep 5 days in the refrigerator.  Store in a covered container.

This stew can be frozen.

Pantry Products:

• Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
• Regular Chili Powder: Feel free to use your favorite chili powder, just be sure to select a mild one and not one that has a lot of heat to it.
• Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

Kitchen Products:

• Large stock pot

If you try this hearty dish, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.

Three Sisters Stew

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• Author: Monkey and Me Kitchen Adventures
• Prep Time: 15 Minutes
• Cook Time: 45 Minutes
• Total Time: 60 Minutes (+Rest Time)
• Yield: 11 Cups 1x
• Category: Stew
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Native American
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Low-fat, nutritious, and comforting, this Three Sisters Stew is brimming with plant powerhouse goodness and fragrant spices.

Adapted from Chickasaw Nation

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Ingredients

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Base Ingredients:

• 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
• 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 2 – [ 14.5 oz. cans ] petite diced tomatoes
• 2 cups reduced-sodium vegetable broth *
• 2 cups water
• 16 oz. red skinned potatoes, unpeeled, cubed *
• 1 – [ 15 oz. can ] kidney beans, drained and rinsed *
• 1 – [ 15 oz. can ] black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed *
• 1 – [ 15 oz. can ] corn, drained
• 1 – [ 9 oz. package ] frozen cubed butternut squash *
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda (optional) *

Spice/Herb Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 ½ teaspoons cumin (+/-)
• 1 teaspoon regular chili powder (+/-) *
• ¼ + 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika (+/-)
• ½ to 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf

Serving Ideas:

• Flatbread

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Instructions

1. Place the Spice/Herb Ingredients in a small bowl, mix well, set aside.
2. In a large stock pot, add the diced onions; sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 7 to 9 minutes.  Add a tablespoon or so of vegetable broth or water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
3. Add the minced garlic to the pot, stir constantly for one minute.
4. Add all the remaining Base Ingredients (except for the baking soda and butternut squash), and the Spice/Herb Mix, bring to a boil, then add the baking soda, stir well, then lower to a simmer.  Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the cubed butternut squash, simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes and butternut squash become tender, stirring occasionally.
5. Allow to sit for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Serve with flatbread and enjoy.

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Notes

*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.

 *Sea Salt:  Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

 *Servings: 5 to 6 (makes 11 cups)

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