Vegan White Bean Stew
I LOVE to eat, so I generally prefer meals that leave me satisfied—like this white bean stew. It isn’t just tasty— It’s the kind of meal that fills you up and keeps you going. I’m sure you’re gonna love it! 🙂
📝 What you’ll need to make this white bean stew
These are the ingredients I’ve used for this white bean stew:
- White beans: I started with 200 grams of dried white beans, soaked them for 24 hours, and ended up with about 500 grams of cooked beans.
- Butternut squash: 300 grams of roughly chopped butternut squash, which I roasted together with other vegetables.
- Red bell pepper: along with the butternut squash, I added 2 medium-sized red bell peppers, roughly chopped as well.
- Carrot: and also 2 roughly chopped medium-sized carrots.
- Dried thyme: to season our about to be roasted veggies, I sprinkled 1/2 a teaspoon of dried thyme.
- Dried rosemary: 1/4 a teaspoon of dried rosemary.
- Ground cumin: and 1/4 a teaspoon of ground cumin.
- Salt: of course, I added some salt too — 1/2 teaspoon for the roasted veggies, another 1/2 teaspoon later in the process, and a bit more at the end if needed.
- Olive oil: to season the roasted veggies, I used 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and added another 2 tablespoons to kickstart the stew.
- Bay leaf: to the warmed up olive oil inside the pot, I added 1 bay leaf.
- Onion: and then 1 large onion.
- Garlic: 3 garlic cloves.
- Tomato paste: for an umami kick, I also added 1 tablespoon of tomato paste. It provided depth to the stew.
- Diced Tomatoes: I also used 250 grams of canned diced tomatoes.
- Balsamic vinegar: 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.
- Bean water: After adding the beans, I poured in 1 and 1/2 cups of the cooked bean water that I had save previously. You can use regular water, too.
- Ground black pepper: Toward the end, I sprinkled in some ground black pepper to taste.
- Fresh parsley: And I also added 4 grams of fresh parsley, but feel free to add as little or as much as you want.
👨🏻🍳 Here’s how easy it is to make this white bean stew
To start off this recipe, I started by soaking the dried white beans. I left them to soak for 24 hours, but overnight should be enough.
I cooked the beans for about 1 hour until they softened. Using a pressure cooker would have made this much faster. Once cooked, I drained the beans, reserved some of the cooking water, and set them aside.
While the beans were cooking, I chopped up some butternut squash (peeling it first), red bell peppers, and carrots, then tossed them into a bowl. I seasoned them with thyme, rosemary, cumin, salt, and olive oil, making sure to mix everything thoroughly with my hands to ensure the flavors were evenly distributed.
I then roasted the veggies in the oven at 180 ºC (356 ºF) for 40 minutes.
While the veggies were roasting in the oven, I prepped the ingredients for the stew —chopping the onion and mincing the garlic cloves. Then, I heated 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pot over medium heat.
Once the oil was warm, I added the bay leaf and the chopped onion. The onion sizzled right away, so I sautéed it for about 5 minutes before adding the minced garlic, which I would sauté for an additional 1 minute.
Next, I added the tomato paste and mixed it well with the onion and garlic. Then, I followed up with the diced tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and balsamic vinegar. I stirred everything together and let the diced tomatoes cook for about 4 minutes in low-medium heat (with a lid on) before adding the roasted veggies.
I mixed the roasted veggies into the flavors in the pot, then added the cooked white beans, the bean water I set aside, and seasoned with salt and ground black pepper to taste. I stirred everything together and let it cook for about 30 to 40 minutes to develop the flavors and thicken the broth.
Once the broth had thickened and the flavors gained depth, I turned off the heat, stirred in some fresh parsley, and let the stew rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. And voilà, that’s how easy it is to make a delicious white bean stew!
💬 Questions people also ask
How do I know when the beans are cooked?
You’ll know the beans are done when they’re soft and tender. Just grab a bean and give it a squeeze or a bite—if it breaks apart easily, it’s ready. If it’s still a little firm, let it cook for a bit longer and check again.
It takes about one hour to cook in a regular pan and around 15 minutes in a pressure cooker, but the time can vary.
Can I use canned beans instead of dried ones?
Yeah, you can totally use canned beans! You will need about 500 grams of cooked beans to replace the dried ones. Just drain and rinse them before adding them to the stew.
How should I store the leftovers? Can I freeze them?
For leftovers, just pop them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for about 3 days. If you want to freeze the stew, Iet it cool completely, then transfer it into a freezer-safe container. It’ll last up to 3 months in the freezer. The texture might change a little, but it should still taste decent.
Is this stew considered gluten-free?
Yeah, it’s naturally gluten-free! All the ingredients—beans, veggies, and seasonings—are gluten-free. Just double-check anything store-bought, like the tomato paste or balsamic vinegar, to make sure there’s no hidden gluten. But for the most part, it should be good to go.
Vegan White Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 300 grams butternut squash peeled, roughly chopped
- 2 red bell peppers roughly chopped
- 2 carrots peeled, roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 4 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp for roasting veggies, 2 tbsp for stew
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 250 grams diced tomatoes canned
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 200 grams dried white beans or 500 grams cooked white beans
- 1,5 cups bean cooking water or water
- 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp for the roasted veggies and 1/2 tsp for the stew. Add more to taste if necessary.
- ground black pepper to taste
- 4 grams fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Soak the white beans for 24 hours or overnight, or use 500 g of canned cooked white beans.
- Cook the beans in plenty of water until tender. Drain, reserving 1,5 cups of the cooking water.
- While the beans cook, preheat the oven to 180 °C (356 °F). In a bowl, mix the butternut squash, red bell peppers, carrots, thyme, rosemary, cumin, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 2 tbsp of olive oil. Toss well, spread on a baking sheet, and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes.
- Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the bay leaf and onion, sauté for 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and mix it well with the onion and garlic, letting it meld together as it heats.
- Add the diced tomatoes, 1/2 tsp of salt, and balsamic vinegar. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 minutes.
- Add the roasted vegetables to the pot, followed by the cooked beans and the bean cooking water (or water). Season with black pepper and adjust the salt. Stir well and cook for 30-40 minutes, until thickened and the flavors have melded.
- Turn off the heat, stir in fresh parsley, and let the stew rest for 5–10 minutes before serving.
Video
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