This Easy Mexican Stew Is Loaded With Protein—And It’s 100% Vegan

If you’re in desperate need of a new recipe on rotation after one too many tomato soups and grilled cheeses, I have the perfect addition to your lineup: a vegan Mexican stew that’s loaded with plant-based protein.

Bethany Ugarte, the blogger behind Lilsipper and the author of Digest This: The 21-Day Gut Reset Plan To Conquer Your IBS, has been eating menudo—a traditional Mexican soup—during the holidays for as long as she can remember. While the main component of the original version is cow stomach, she remade it with all vegan ingredients to reap the benefits in a healthier way. And the star of the show is none other than everyone’s favorite legume: chickpeas. She always goes with the dried version (like Bob’s Red Mill Garbanzo Beans) instead of the canned version for a few different reasons: “They’re fresh and taste so much better, contain no preservatives, and are easier to digest if you soak them overnight prior to cooking,” she writes.

With 39 grams of protein per cup, chickpeas are an excellent source of nutrition. Put together with vegetarian both, tomatoes, kale, and a splash of metabolism-boosting hot sauce, you can create a simple meal in minutes. “Add some bone broth for extra gut health and protein, or keep it vegan by sticking with veggie broth. You can customize it to your preference,” Ugarte says. “And if you don’t like spicy food, just leave out the hot sauce.” The next time you want to cuddle up with a cozy stew, whip up her easy recipe.

Mexican chickpea stew

Ingredients3 cups chickpeas (pre-cooked or canned)4 cups water4 cups veggie broth1/4 cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce1 18 oz. jar diced tomatoes1 cup fresh dinosaur kale, choppedblack pepper to taste

1. Warm all soup ingredients in a pot.2. Once warm, garnish as desired.

For another healthy plant-based recipe, try this immunity broth:

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