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Tomato stew with okra, kidney beans and brown rice in a white bowl on a yellow background.
Dinner · American

Okra Bean Stew

A bag of frozen okra, a few cans and a cup of rice turn into a big pot of dinner. The rice cooks right in the spiced tomato broth, so it soaks up the flavor and thickens the stew as it goes. It makes a lot, so lunch is handled for days.

Quick facts

40 min(10 prep, 30 cook)

7 servings

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Gluten-free
  • Dairy-free
Step 0

Get it all out

Tick things off as they hit the counter.

  • 4 cups water, plus more to thin
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz, with their juice
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced, or ¾ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning, labeled gluten-free
  • 1 tsp chili powder, labeled gluten-free
  • 1 tsp vinegar-based hot sauce, labeled gluten-free
  • 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice, uncooked
  • 1 can kidney beans, 15 oz, rinsed and drained
  • 3 cans tomato sauce, 8 oz each
  • 1 package frozen sliced okra, 16 oz
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
Then

Let 'em cook

Tap Done as you go. Each step lists what goes in.

  1. 1

    Put the 4 cups of water, the diced tomatoes with their juice, the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, chili powder and hot sauce in a large pot.

    • 4 cups water
    • 1 can diced tomatoes
    • 1 onion
    • 3 cloves garlic
    • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • 1 tsp vinegar-based hot sauce
  2. 2

    Bring the pot to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low so it bubbles gently, and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.

  3. 3

    Stir in the rice, kidney beans, tomato sauce and frozen okra. Raise the heat to medium and stir until the stew is bubbling gently again, about 3 minutes.

    • 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice
    • 1 can kidney beans
    • 3 cans tomato sauce
    • 1 package frozen sliced okra
  4. 4

    Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring every minute or two and scraping the bottom of the pot so the rice doesn't stick, until the rice and okra are tender when you bite into them, 8 to 10 minutes. If the rice is still firm, keep simmering and stirring, and check again every 2 minutes.

    • 1 cup quick-cooking brown rice
    • 1 package frozen sliced okra
  5. 5

    If the stew is thicker than you like, stir in more water, ¼ cup at a time, until it's as loose as you want.

    • 4 cups water
  6. 6

    Stir in the salt and pepper, taste, and add more salt if it needs it. Ladle into bowls. Put leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours.

    • ¼ tsp salt
    • ¼ tsp black pepper