My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Easy Bazella (Peas & Carrots Stew)
This comforting middle eastern peas and carrot stew, otherwise known as Bazella, is one of my go-to stews for its easy method and hearty flavour. If you have a bag of frozen peas and carrots, this recipe transforms them into a deeply flavourful tomato-based stew, served over fragrant rice. I use chunks of bone-in veal for more flavour, but this recipe is versatile and can be made quicker using ground beef. Whether you enjoy it on a chilly evening or as an easy weeknight meal, this stew is humble, wholesome and deeply satisfying.
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Bazella Cooking Methods
Chances are, most of us have a bag of frozen peas and carrots in the freezer. Pair that with either bone-in veal or ground beef to make this utterly delicious stew that my kids absolutely devour. It’s on rotation along with my green bean stew and white bean stew. Bazella refers to “peas” in Arabic.
There are a few different ways I make this stew, and I tend to make all of them depending on my situation. Here they are:
- This method, using bone-in veal or lamb pieces: the bone-in veal offers a lot of extra flavour when it is stewed until tender with the onions before adding the rest of the ingredients. It’s easy, but it does need an extra 45 minutes or so. You can also swap bone-in lamb shoulder pieces.
- Ground beef method: using ground beef is the fastest method. Simply soften the onions, but instead of using veal or lamb chunks which take longer to cook, just brown the ground beef. When using ground beef, I increase the seven spice a bit to give it more flavour.
- Using the instant pot: sometimes I will use the instant pot and use veal or lamb chunks (essentially steps 1 and 2 of the recipe) but pressure cook them for 15 to 20 minutes. This saves me about 30 more minutes of stewing time. I then continue with the rest of the stew on “saute” mode (not pressure cook) using my instant pot.
How to Make Bazella Using My Favourite Method
Gather your ingredients. You’ll need a frozen bag of peas and carrots (and if you have only peas, or those bags that also have other vegetables, they will work too). As noted above, you can use bone-in veal or lamb pieces, or use ground beef for a quicker method.
If you don’t have it, you can make your own seven spice using my recipe, or you can substitute it with allspice.
A note on my favourite protein for stews: bone-in veal shoulder. I love this cut because veal tends to be a lot more tender than beef, but also never gamey like lamb can sometimes be. It also cooks to tender faster than beef.
To make the stew, start by seasoning the veal with salt and pepper then searing them on both sides for a few minutes to get some colour. Then, soften the onions and add the bay leaves and cardamom pod.
NOTE: If using ground beef, soften the onions first in olive oil, then add the ground beef and break it up until it is browned and the juices have dried up. Then season with seven spice, salt and pepper and continue with the rest of the recipe as written. You can skip the bay leaves and cardamom pods.
Add the water and cover and cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes, just until the veal is fork tender. Fish out the bay leaves and cardamom pods and discard.
Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, all the remaining spices, and some water. Mix together, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until all the flavours are developed. Taste and adjust for salt.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
I have to pair this stew with rice. But in terms of rice, you have options. One of my easiest recipes is this vermicelli rice using basmati. But I also love to make medium grain Egyptian rice, which works quite well too.
To store leftovers, simply place in an airtight container and in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Otherwise, you can also freeze your leftovers in an airtight freezer bag or container. Peas and carrots freeze very well so this will be good as new, and you can use it for up to 3 to 4 months.
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Easy Bazella (Peas and Carrots Stew)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound bone-in veal or lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces, (453g) see notes for further substitutions
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 1/2 pounds frozen peas and carrots, 680g
- 1 teaspoon seven spice
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato sauce, or passata
- 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Place a large pot or braiser with a lid on medium heat and add the olive oil. Allow it to heat for 1 minute, then add the veal shoulder pieces and sprinkle them with ½ a teaspoon of the salt. Sear the pieces for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until lightly golden.
- Add the chopped onions and stir with the meat. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the onions are lightly golden. Add approximately 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on medium heat for approximately 45 minutes. Check on the meat halfway through cooking and replenish the water with 1-2 more cups if needed. The meat is ready when it is fork tender, and timing will vary depending on the type of meat. If it is not tender yet, continue to cook for another 15 to 20 minutes.
- Once the meat is soft, remove the bay leaves and cardamom pods. Add the frozen peas and carrots, the seven spice, the rest of the salt, the black pepper, the tomato paste and the tomato sauce or passata. Stir to combine all the ingredients together.
- Add 2 cups of water, cover and continue to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, just until the peas and carrots are soft. Taste and adjust the stew for more salt if necessary, and adjust the thickness. If you like it more runny, add a bit more water and allow it to simmer further. Or keep it a thicker consistency.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately over white rice. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- You can make this recipe quicker by replacing the bone-in veal with ground beef. Simply use 1 lb ground beef and cook it after softening the onions. Skip the bay leaves and cardamom pods, and double the seven spice amount to 2 teaspoons, with one of the teaspoons being added to the beef after it is browned. Then continue on with the recipe.
- If you don’t have a ready frozen mix of peas and carrots, you can use fresh peas and carrots. The carrots should be finely diced so they don’t take too long to cook.
So easy to follow and exactly like the one I had growing up, great for a first try and will add to my weekly rotation!
This is a staple in our household! I make it a couple of times a month. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out amazing. Thank you!
Amazing! Such an easy stew, it’s totally a staple for me too. Thanks so much Yassmin!
This was such an easy recipe to make. I used chunks of beef stew meat. Still super tender and delicious. I just wanted to eat the stew with a spoon. But I paired it with rice and a side salad. 10/10!
Thanks for the review Hakima, so happy you enjoyed it! 🙂