One Pot Vegan Caribbean Pelau with Beans and Spinach

A one pot vegan Caribbean pelau filled with hearty beans and spinach for a complete, easy weeknight meal.

Doing the happy one pot meal dance!

Pretty sure there is not much better on a weeknight when you’re tired and there’s a baby head pushing into your bladder so standing for an hour in front of the stove is just not an option. (Well, other than someone handing you a freezer full of ice cream and a spoon – hint hint.)

Bonus if said meal is packed with legumes for healthy plant-based protein, loads of vegetables, and rice for hearty sustenance. Yes yes count me in.

This pelau recipe from Julia Turshen’s Simply Julia cookbook is based on a traditional one-pot rice dish from the West Indies. Traditionally, it’s made with chicken, rice, and pigeon peas with the inclusion of other vegetables and spices varying depending on which region you’re in. Turshen learned how to make a meat-based version from her childhood babysitter but decided to vegan-ize it for her most recent cookbook and the results are excellent!

What gives this simple meal a really rich, complex flavor is the fact that it starts off with having you burn a few tablespoons of sugar on the bottom of your pot. Yes, I said BURN. Don’t be scared – your dinner won’t taste like an ashtray. The burnt sugar ends up melting into the finished dish, adding umami and complexity.

After the sugar is cooked, vegetables are added to the pot and sauteed until tender and starting to caramelize. Next, tomato paste and any spices are added to the mix, followed by rice, coconut milk, beans, and water. All of this is simmered together until the rice is cooked through. Handfuls (and handfuls) of spinach are stirred in at the end, allowing the residual heat from the rice to cook and wilt it.

That’s it! Like I said, it is pretty much the PERFECT weeknight meal. Dinner couldn’t be easier!

One Pot Vegan Caribbean Pelau with Beans and Spinach

 

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A one pot vegan Caribbean pelau filled with hearty beans and spinach for a complete meal.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 large yellow onion, dinced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 3 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 (13.5 oz) coconut milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 2 (15 oz) cans red beans, drained and rinsed
• 10 oz baby spinach

Instructions

1. Combine the oil and sugar in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture is black and smoking, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add in the onion, bell pepper, and carrots. Cook until the vegetables are starting to become tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Increase the heat to high and add in the garlic, tomato, paste, salt, turmeric, coconut milk, and water. Bring to a boil.
4. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Stir in the rice and beans. Cover and cook until the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, uncover the pot, and stir in the baby spinach. Cover the pot again and let sit for 10 minutes, or until spinach is wilted. Stir together once more and season to taste with salt. Serve immediately.

Notes

Adapted very slightly from Simply Julia

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