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My pea stew recipe, also known as bazella, is a comforting and nourishing dish made with peas, carrots, and meat, cooked until flavorful and tender in rich tomato sauce.
This pea stew recipe (Yakhneh Bazella) is a Lebanese family favorite, passed down from my mom. It’s a hearty, comforting meal made with simple ingredients: peas, meat, carrots, and a simple tomato sauce. I love that the ingredient list is not long, yet the stew is so flavorful, and for ease and convenience, you can use frozen peas and carrots.
This nourishing stew is traditionally served with rice, which is why we call it Bazella w Riz (“w Riz” means “with rice”). It’s a wholesome meal to enjoy year-round and that everyone, from kids to adults, will love.
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What is Bazella
This stew is known as bazella in the Middle East, where some call it bazella w riz, and some call it yakhne bazella. Bazella is the Arabic word for peas, and yakhneh is the Arabic word for stew. Riz is the Arabic word for rice. So— it’s pea stew with rice.
In this comforting dish, peas are the star. They simmer with carrots and meat in a rich tomato broth until everything is tender and flavorful.
This recipe yields warming and comforting results, similar to my other Lebanese stew recipes. You might enjoy my okra stew, butter bean stew, molokhia stew, and Lebanese green beans (Loubieh Bi Zeit).
Watch how I make it
Ingredients
- Green Peas: They are the star, and frozen peas work perfectly for this recipe. You can sub with fresh peas if they are in season.
- Meat: This stew works great with either beef or lamb—whichever you prefer. I recommend beef shank or beef cubes from the shoulder.
- Tomatoes: You will need both tomato paste and canned crushed tomatoes. I love using homemade canned whole tomatoes, which I crush before adding to the stew. When I have it, I use homemade tomato paste, but storebought works just as well.
- Carrots: You can use either fresh carrots or diced frozen carrots.
- Broth: You can use store-bought or homemade vegetable broth, homemade beef broth, or even chicken broth.
- Olive oil.
- Garlic.
- Spices: I use a combination of salt, chili powder, and Lebanese 7 spice mix (it’s available in Middle-Eastern stores or online, or you can make it at home with cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, coriander, allspice, cloves, black peppercorn).
- Cilantro: Added at the end for freshness.
See the printable recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Bazella
Prep the ingredients: If needed, dice the carrots and garlic into small pieces and cut the meat into cubes. Remove the stems and chop the cilantro leaves. There is no need to defrost the peas as they will cook through in the stew.
Make the stew: Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the meat and brown it on all sides. Add the diced garlic and tomato paste. Stir and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Next, incorporate the crushed tomatoes, broth, chili powder, and seven-spice mix. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Let the stew simmer, covered, for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the meat is tender.
Add the diced carrots and frozen peas and cook for another 10 minutes until the peas become tender but still bright green. Then, remove the bazella from the heat. Add the chopped cilantro and season with salt to taste.
Finally, the pea stew is now ready to serve and enjoy!
FAQs
Like most traditional Lebanese stews, this one-pot pea stew is perfect for enjoying hot with Lebanese rice or with warm pita bread.
This stew is a great make-ahead and freezer meal. Let it cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and frozen for up to 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through to serve.
Yes, the Instant Pot is great for cooking beef cubes quickly. Cook the beef on the meat/stew setting for 20 minutes. Then, add the carrots and peas and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes. This will tenderize the carrots and perfectly cook the peas without making them mushy.
More hearty Lebanese stews
If you try this pea stew (bazella), let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d appreciate a recipe card rating and would love to see your recipe recreations – tag me on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
Comforting Pea Stew (Bazella)
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen peas
- 1 lb beef stewing beef, or lamb, cut into cubes
- 30 oz crushed tomatoes 2 x 15 oz cans
- 2 cups vegetable broth or beef broth or chicken broth
- 4 carrots medium-sized, diced
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic diced
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp Lebanese 7-spice
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Dice the carrots and garlic. Cube the meat/ Remove the stems, and chop the cilantro leaves.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the meat and brown on all sides.
- Stir in the diced garlic and tomato paste and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
- Incorporate the crushed tomatoes, broth, chili powder, and 7-spice mix.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer the Bazella for 30-40 minutes or until the meat is tender.
- Add the diced carrots and frozen peas and cook for another 10 minutes or until the peas are tender but still bright green.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in the chopped cilantro. Season with salt to taste. Serve the pea stew hot over Lebanese rice or with pita bread.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
