Three Sisters Stew
Difficulty 3/5 Ingredients 15 Steps 9
Three sisters stew is a traditional and contemporary Native American dish. The dish includes the three sister foods of maize, beans, and squash, which are prevalent in many Native American diets. The three traditional ingredients are made together because of farming methods that often included all three crops in the same field with an interdependent relationship. Beans climb the tall maize stalks and fertilize the…
Ingredients
- 1 ea. (2 lb) small pumpkin or butternut or carnival squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ medium green or red bell pepper, cut into short, narrow strips
- 1 can (14–16 ounces) diced tomatoes, with liquid
- 2 cups cooked or canned pinto beans
- 2 cups corn kernels (from 2 large or medium ears)
- 1 cup water or homemade vegetable stock
- 1–2 fresh hot chiles, seeded and minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly-ground pepper, to taste
- 3–4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
Steps
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Halve pumpkin or squash lengthwise. Remove seeds and fibers. Cover with aluminum foil. Place cut side up in a foil-lined shallow baking pan.
- Bake 40–50 minutes, until easily pierced with a knife but still firm.
- Cool until handleable. Scoop out pulp. Cut into large dice. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a soup pot. Sauté onion over medium-low heat until translucent. Add garlic. Sauté until onion is golden.
- Add pumpkin and all remaining ingredients except the last 2. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer gently, covered, 20–25 minutes, until all vegetables are tender. Season with salt and pepper.
- Let stand 1–2 hours if time allows. Heat through as needed.
- Stir in cilantro just before serving. Add stock or water if needed; stew should be thick and moist, not soupy. Serve in shallow bowls.
Notes from the original
- The protein content of the stew can be increased by adding a cup of quinoa and/or a pound of cooked turkey meat, cut into bite-size pieces.
- See Three Sisters Soup for another variation.
Source. Adapted from “Cookbook:Three Sisters Stew” by Wikibooks contributors, revision of 2025-06-29, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Changes. Steps rewritten into short commands. Introduction shortened. Wiki formatting removed. This adapted recipe is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.