Bazella Pea Stew with Meat Chunks

5 from 3 votes

Bazella Pea Stew with Meat Chunks

Bazella is a delicious Lebanese pea stew with meat chunks. Tender chunks of beef or lamb are stewed with green peas, carrots, potatoes, onion, garlic, and spices in a rich tomato sauce.

Servings:

Ingredients

2 lbs lamb or beef chunks
4 lbs Roma tomatoes or substitute 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes or passata, see note 1
1 onion diced
2 cups fresh carrots chopped
3 cups white potatoes cubed
4 cups green peas frozen or fresh
6 garlic cloves minced
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon Lebanese seven spice substitute all spice
4 cups water or broth
6 ounces canned tomato paste
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make homemade tomato sauce. Slice tomatoes in half. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Blend and strain the tomato juice. Set aside.
Prep the ingredients. Cube the meat into 1" (2.5 cm) chunks. Peel and dice the onion, potatoes, and carrots. Mince the garlic. Set aside.
Make the pea stew. Brown the chunks of meat in olive oil on medium-high heat. Set aside. Sautee the diced onions, carrots, and minced garlic. Add the tomato paste, salt, bay leaves, and Lebanese seven spices. Pour the tomato sauce and add the meat back. Add the water. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes.
Add the frozen peas and cubed potatoes. Turn the stove to low heat and continue cooking for another hour covered. Add water if needed. The pea stew is done when the vegetables and meat are tender.
Serve bazella with vermicelli rice, pita bread, and a squeeze of lemon.

Notes

Use passata, crushed tomatoes, or canned tomato sauce instead of fresh tomatoes. If using fresh tomatoes, any kind work, but Roma tomatoes are easier to scoop out the seeds.
Store bazella in an airtight container in the fridge for five days or the freezer for four months.
Use vegetable stock, chicken stock, or beef stock instead of water.
Prepare this meal with a pressure cooker or slow cooker. For a pressure cooker, cut the cooking times in half. For a slow cooker, add everything to the pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

Nutrition