Here’s a great main dish option for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s somewhat like chili, though more about the squash than beans. In Native American mythology, squash, corn, and beans are known as of the “three sisters” — the very crops that the harvest festival of Thanksgiving is meant to celebrate! If you bake your pumpkin or squash a day ahead, the stew will come together in a snap. And if you’re not accustomed to dealing with winter squash, or don’t have the time, see the shortcut following the recipe. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
- 1 small sugar pumpkin or 1 large butternut squash (about 2 pounds), or see shortcut following recipe
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium green or red bell pepper, cut into short narrow strips
- 14- to 16-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, with liquid
- 2 to 3 cups cooked or canned (drained and rinsed) pink or pinto beans
- 2 cups corn kernels (from 2 large or 3 medium ears, or frozen)
- 1 cup homemade or canned vegetable stock, or water
- 1 or 2 small fresh hot chiles, seeded and minced, or one 4-ounce can chopped mild green chilies
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder or mesquite seasoning, or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro or parsley
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Remove stem from the pumpkin or squash and cut in half lengthwise. Cover with aluminum foil and place the halves, cut side up, in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. If your knives aren't sharp enough, just wrap the pumpkin or squash in foil and bake it whole. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until you can pierce through with a knife, with a little resistance.
- When cool enough to handle, scrape out the seeds and fibers (clean the seeds for roasting, if you'd like). Slice and peel, then cut into large dice.
- Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until the onion is golden.
- Add the pumpkin or squash and all the remaining ingredients except the last 2, and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently, covered, until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- If time allows, let the stew stand for 1 to 2 hours before serving, then heat through as needed. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro. The stew should be thick and very moist but not soupy; add additional stock or water if needed. Adjust seasonings to your liking. Serve in bowls.
Shortcut: If you’re short on time or simply can’t deal with chopping and peeling pumpkin or squash, you can get peeled, cut raw butternut squash. At this time of year, it’s easy to find in the fresh produce department of supermarkets or natural foods stores.
- Here are more recipes for bean stews and chilies.
- Here are more recipes to enjoy a Vegetarian and Vegan Friendly Thanksgiving.
- Find more ways to make Special Occasions and Entertaining easier and healthier.
29 Comments
Crista Meyer
November 26, 2010 at 11:07 amWorking ahead of time I soaked and cooked my beans for this and then was going to prepare the stew the next day. I then overlooked getting the cooked beans in the refrigerator so they sat in the pot on top of a gas stove all night, meaning more warmth there than if just on the counter. Did I kill them and need to toss them or should they be okay?
Nava
November 26, 2010 at 11:12 amThis is a tough call. If it were summer and the beans were in a warm kitchen aside from being on a warm stove, I’d say toss them. But if they taste OK and smell OK, chances are that they are fine. Not much in beans that is too perishable. I hope I’m giving you the right advice!
Pause2Shop.com
December 12, 2010 at 12:35 pmFinally got the opportunity to make this last night. I peeled the butternut squash, diced it and then lightly steamed it – this seemed to speed things up a bit. I didn’t have any pinto beans in the house, so used small red beans instead. I have to tell you – this recipes is AMAZING. The whole family devoured this and came back for more. Definitely one of our new favorites. Will make again and again – thank you Nava!! (Looking forward to the leftovers for lunch today!)
NedMan
January 2, 2011 at 10:18 amI have been making the recipe for Thanksgiving for the past few years. It has become a tradition now for the holiday in our family. This is just an incredible recipe. I have always made it with butternut squash.
I usually make it the day before I am going to serve it and let it sit on the stove or refrigerate it. If you are serving this to people that are sensitive to spicy food you may want to be be careful on how many chiles you put into it.
Nava
January 3, 2011 at 8:30 amThanks for the feedback, Pause and NedMan—glad to have helped you start a new tradition!
reeanna chino
October 21, 2011 at 2:23 pmI think these recipes are really good. I made one of these recipes for NY class, they really liked it, I was happy. So thanks to all the people who left these recipes. I hope other people enjoy these great dishes.
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November 23, 2011 at 5:40 am[…] “Three Sisters” stew (1)- to make this gluten free, use a gluten free stock or just plain water. It is very yummy, you could serve it with rice or mashed potatoes. […]
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November 24, 2011 at 9:06 am[…] – Three Sisters Stew […]
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November 25, 2011 at 9:41 pm[…] papaya.My mom made vegan pumpkin pies and she roasted some baby carrots. She also made a fantastic Three Sister’s Stew. The stew recipe introduction says this about the ingredients: “In Native American mythology, […]
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Ofelia
February 6, 2012 at 7:36 pmExcellent stew. Served with pearled barley & a little Parmesan cheese on top.
Gina
November 20, 2012 at 1:07 pmI am making this (with butternut) for the main dish at this year’s family Thanksgiving dinner. I love this recipe for lots of reasons: it’s the perfect blend of historical representation, good nutrition and deliciousness. Thanks!
Nava
November 20, 2012 at 1:10 pmI made it this week just for the weekday meals, as I had a bunch of squashes. If you’re feeding a bigger crowd, add another cup or two of beans, and spice it up to your taste. It’s a very flexible stew! I also added a pinch of mesquite seasoning (available in the supermarket spice section), which gave it a deliciously smoky flavor. Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving!
Gina
November 22, 2012 at 1:40 pmThanks for the above comment and suggestion. I did add the extra beans, and some of my last jalapeños (from plants now in the garage, to avoid the frosty nights). Lovely, simple recipe. Perfect for today.
Gina
November 22, 2012 at 4:52 pmI also doubled the onion and red pepper. I’ve now entered this recipe into my hand-written recipe book, meaning tried and true. Thanks again, and hope you and yours have a happy Thanksgiving celebration.
Nava
November 23, 2013 at 4:11 pmThank you, Gina — same to you and yours!
David Nurbin
November 23, 2013 at 8:41 amI have made this as the vegetarian main dish for Thanksgiving for almost 10 years. I increase the cumin and the beans, but other than that, do it this way. It has been popular even with my “won’t eat healthy ir vegetarian stuff” friends.
Nava
November 23, 2013 at 4:10 pmThanks so much, David. So glad you’ve enjoyed this over the years! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration.
Penny
November 16, 2014 at 5:48 pmCan this be made in a crock pot? Has anyone tried that?
Scotty
November 25, 2014 at 4:06 pmHow would black beans go with this stew? I would love to try this recipe, but I prefer the taste of black beans over pinto…
Nava
November 25, 2014 at 4:59 pmThey’d be great, go for it!
Penny
November 25, 2014 at 9:22 pmWell, I tried the crockpot myself and it works! I did start out in a dutch oven and let it cook for a few minutes and then put it in the crockpot on high for two hours. This recipe is so good!
Nava
November 29, 2014 at 11:53 amThanks for coming back and letting us know, Penny. It’s good to know that this can be make in a crock pot!
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December 18, 2014 at 7:03 pm[…] Three Sisters Stew – I made this for New Year’s day along side of my southern style greens and some black-eyed peas. My guests went nuts over this stew of corn, winter squash, and beans. (Yes, they liked it more than my black-eyed peas. But I’m not holding that against you Nava…) I even cheated and made it in the slow cooker so I made my beans from scratch and skipped the cans. […]
Jan
September 4, 2016 at 10:32 amVery tasty stew. Great combination of heat, savory, and sweet. I used steamed butternut squash. Next time I will use small red bean for the color contrast.
Nava
September 5, 2016 at 12:23 pmThanks, Jan! This is definitely a Thanksgiving favorite.
Rizan
November 13, 2016 at 10:38 pmWould this still be good if made ahead of time and frozen? I’m trying to make several dishes beforehand as I have many dishes to make.
Nava
November 14, 2016 at 10:38 amI’m not a big fan of freezing, but this is one of those dishes that thaws out well. So yes, go ahead, and I hope you enjoy this!
Nichole
September 9, 2019 at 2:03 amTasty and healthy – thanks for posting this!
My version used sprouted boiled beans, no oil, water for the stock, and steamed squash instead of roasted.
🙂