Ingredients

Scale

½ pound cremini mushrooms, quartered or sliced (about 2½ cups)
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 ribs celery, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (3 to 4 cloves)
4½ cups water (or salt-free broth)
2 15-ounce cans salt-free kidney beans (3 cups), drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can salt-free diced tomatoes, with liquid (1½ cups total)
1¼ cup dry/uncooked long-grain brown rice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon smoky paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional; these are spicy)
2 bay leaves

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon of water in a soup pot over medium-high heat. When the water starts to sputter, add the mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and celery, and cook for about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, adding water as needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic and cook while stirring for 1 minute more.
Add the remaining ingredients: water, kidney beans, diced tomatoes (with liquid), rice, tomato paste, paprika, thyme, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves. Stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and cover.
Cook for 45 minutes (or until the rice is tender), stirring once during. Remove from the heat, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes with the lid on before serving (remove the bay leaves before serving). Stir in a little water upon reheating, as the stew will have thickened.

Notes

Instant Pot Instructions: If you’d like to make this in the Instant Pot (IP), a bigger than 6-quart model is best. I made it in my 6-quart, and while it cooked up fine, it gave me an error message that it was overfilled in step 2):

1. Place the rice and 1¾ cups water in the IP and set for 15 minutes on manual, high pressure.
2. When the time is up, let come down from pressure for 5 minutes. Release any remaining pressure (using the steam release valve), and then open the lid. Add 2½ cups water, and all of the other ingredients (stirring the tomato paste in first after the water, and the bay leaf in last).
3. Replace the lid and move the steam release valve back into starting position, and cook for 8 more minutes (on manual, high pressure). Let come down from pressure naturally (or at least 10 minutes).

Prep Time: 25 mins
Cook Time: 60 mins

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1/8 recipe (1.25 cups)
Calories: 208
Sugar: 8.5g
Sodium: 29.8mg
Fat: 1.7g
Saturated Fat: 0.3g
Carbohydrates: 41g
Fiber: 7.5g
Protein: 9.1g
Cholesterol: 0