Bazella w Riz (Vegan Lebanese Stewed Peas)

Name: Bazella w Riz (Vegan Lebanese Stewed Peas)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 cups Frozen peas; 2 small Carrots (chopped); 1 med Onion (diced small); 2 cloves Garlic (crushed); 2 cups Passata; 1 small handful Coriander (fresh cilantro); 2 cups Vegetable stock; ½ tsp Black pepper (cracked)

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This bazella w riz is an easy vegan Lebanese recipe of stewed peas and carrots in a tomato base (yakhni). Traditionally served over Lebanese vermicelli rice.

bazella in a bowl with rice — A hearty meal of vegetarian bazella w riz

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What is bazella w riz?
😋Why You’ll Love This Recipe
✔️Ingredients You’ll Need
🔪How To Make Vegetarian Bazella W Riz
🍲Variations
🍴What To Serve With?
🌟Pro Tips
❓FAQ
🥘Related recipes
Bazella w Riz (Vegan Lebanese Stewed Peas)

What is bazella w riz?

Translated from Arabic, bazella in English is the word for green peas. Bazella is pronounced as bah·zel·lah.

The Arabic words “w riz” translates to “with rice” and is pronounced as wah rizz.

So when someone says “I’m making bazella w riz for dinner tonight” this usually denotes this easy (Middle Eastern) Lebanese stewed peas recipe served with rice.

This recipe is also known as yakhnet bazella or peas with rice and typically is made with meat, however, this is a vegan / vegetarian version without meat.

There are slightly different versions of this recipe depending on the Middle Eastern region/country.

😋Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Super easy & quick - no thinking needed, just use one pot to make the whole dish. Once all the ingredients are tender, this vegan Lebanese stew is done.
Hearty and wholesome
A kid favorite - it’s the go-to for super-busy parents as all kids love the flavor.
It’s gluten-free, vegan, packed with protein, and oil-free (I particularly love how I am able to cook this without any added oil).

✔️Ingredients You’ll Need

frozen peas, chopped carrots and onions, vegetable stock, garlic, passata, coriander and black pepper in bowls on a white bench top

Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Bazella (Peas) - I always use frozen peas. Baby peas can be used.

Carrots - I generally use fresh carrots, however, frozen can also be used (purchase a bag of frozen peas and carrots) If you have lots of carrots, consider making our carrot and celery soup.

Vegetable stock - use a good quality veggie stock that has minimal ingredients such as Massel (affiliate link) however if you are avoiding oil, use one without oil.

Homemade vegetable broth can be used too.

Coriander (cilantro) - this is best used fresh, however, if you can’t get your hands on this fresh herb, use the dry variety (affiliate link) to taste. Use the coriander stalks also, chop them finely.

Cracked black pepper is a key flavor in thie vegetarian bazella, so use good fresh pepper, preferably pepper that you’ve freshly cracked.

🔪How To Make Vegetarian Bazella W Riz

Step 1 - Over med-high heat, add 2 spoonfuls of vegetable stock to a pot and add onion. Sweat until semi-translucent and then add garlic. Fry for about a minute.

Step 2 - Add carrots, passata, remaining vegetable stock (affiliate link), coriander (cilantro) and pepper. Stir through and allow to simmer until carrots are semi tender. Approx. 5 minutes.

Step 3 - Reduce heat to medium and stir through peas. Simmer for approx. 15 minutes until all is tender.

Step 5 - Serve with vermicelli rice.

🍲Variations

Tomato base - I have often in place of passata used a tomato paste with vegetable stock. Use 1 small tub 140g of tomato paste with 4 cups of vegetable stock. Or adjust to taste.

Potato - you may wish to add some cubed potato. Cut potato into small dices, add them to the onion and garlic stage.

Corn - some people like to add corn kernels, add them with the carrots.

Before I changed my diet, I used to enjoy this recipe with meat, mostly cubed beef or sometimes lamb. This was added by browning off the meat in olive oil as step one, then continuing on as per this recipe.

stewed peas and carrots in red sauce in a red casserole dish

🍴What To Serve With?

Serve this vegetarian bazella w riz over a bed of vermicelli rice and a side of salad such as fattoush.

You could even use bread - dinner rolls or damper to mop up the left over juice from this vegetarian bazella.

🌟Pro Tips

Peas cook very quickly, hence why they are added at the end so they don’t turn into mush.

Cut carrots as evenly as possible, to help with even cooking and for aesthetics.

Tomato base can be watered down if needed or thickened up by using less stock.

As this Lebanese peas and carrots stew cooks through, it will get thicker. It will also thicken further when cooled.

For extra heat - add extra black pepper or a pinch of chilli sprinkles

stewed peas and carrots in red sauce in a red pot with a white spoon

❓FAQ

How to store bazella w riz?

This bazella is great as a leftover. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days once it has cooled down to room temperature. Reheat required portions as needed.

Can I freeze bazella?

Yes, bazella stores well in the freezer for approximately 3 months. Simply portion out and store in an airtight container or snap-lock bag. If using a snap-lock bag, lay it flat in the freezer. Ensure bazella is completely cool before transferring to the freezer.

What is yakhni?

Yakhni or yakhne is the Arabic word for stew and is pronounced as yakh·nee (the k and h are fused together)
Stewed and braised dishes are abundant within Arabic cuisine. A tomato base with sautéed onion and garlic is a popular type of yakhnee.

🥘Related recipes

Use the leftover frozen peas and carrots to make my family’s most loved veggie rice with nuts.

Another delicious vegan Lebanese stew is molokhia or Lebanese potato stew known as Ousiyeh.

Otherwise, try my Lebanese moussaka, which is known as maghmour. It also features red sauce.