We were so excited to find the Beyond Beef Plant-Based Seared Tips at Costco. It’s optional in this recipe but we loved the way it turned out! 😀

An aromatic blend of fragrant herbs, fenugreek, dried limes, and fresh lemon juice with kidney beans. Gormeh Sabzi is one of Iran’s most popular and well known dishes. Packed full of greens and loaded with flavor it’s one of our family’s favorites. Kidney beans as well as the greens add protein to this dish making it a complete meal.

Ingredients:

1 – 15.5 Oz canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 large bunches parsley, finely chopped 3 cups finely chopped  (173 grams)

1 bunch cilantro  finely chopped 1/4 cup (34 grams)

1 cup spinach finely chopped (55 grams)

2 large bunches green onions, green part only  1 ½ cups finely chopped (143 grams)

2 tablespoons  dried fenugreek 

1/4 cup oil + 2 Tablespoons divided use

1 large onion finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

4 dried limes pierced

3 cups water (709 grams) 

⅛ to ¼ cup fresh lemon juice to taste

1 tablespoon saffron water (optional)

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Liquid Saffron or Saffron Water

Ingredients

½ teaspoon saffron threads
3 Tablespoons boiling water

Steps:

Crush saffron in a pestle and mortar
Add boiling water to crushed saffron
Let dissolve

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Wash greens and dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with a kitchen towel. The greens should be quite dry. Remove the stems and finely chop your greens Alternatively, you can process your greens (except the green onions, see notes) in a food processor on pulse mode until finely chopped. 

Add the green onions, parsley, cilantro, spinach and fenugreek to a medium bowl. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the chopped onions, turmeric, salt and pepper, then saute over medium low heat, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until onions are brown.

Add the dried limes to the pot. Saute for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add 3 cups of boiling water to the pot, then stir and cover the pot. Reduce heat and cook over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining ¼ cup oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Pour the contents of the bowl of chopped greens into the heated pan and saute over medium heat for about 30 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning. The greens should turn from a bright green color to a very dark green color and have a nice aromatic scent. The greens will also reduce significantly. 

Remove the sauteed greens from heat and add to the cooking pot with the onions and dried limes. Add the kidney beans and lemon juice. Cover the pot and cook over very low heat for 1 hour. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Prepare Beyond Steak Plant-Based Seared Tips (Optional)

Serve with Basmati rice. Drizzle saffron water over the top of the Gormeh Sabzi just before serving.

Notes

Use a salad spinner to dry the greens before sauteing.

We use 1/4 cup lemon juice, reduce the lemon juice amount to ⅛ cup if you prefer less lemon.

If the stew gets too thick during cooking, add water at ¼ cup increments. The stew should not be thin or runny.

Ghormeh sabzi is even better the next day making it a great make-ahead meal.

Green onions tend to get slimy when processed through a food processor. For this reason, it’s always best to chop them by hand.

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The Vegan Persian Kitchen features Persian recipes that we have crafted to be plant-based & delicious. We’ve spent the last few years perfecting our recipes and are so excited to share them with you! We’re Roya & Tracy, a mother-and-daughter team who love to experiment in the kitchen and travel far and wide to experience the best plant-based foods.  Learn more or follow our journey here.