Mediterranean White Bean Stew (Print Page)

Hearty white bean stew with vegetables, Mediterranean herbs, and warming spices in olive oil broth

# What You Need:

→ Beans & Broth

01 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
03 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 2 cans (15 ounces each) cannellini or Great Northern white beans, drained and rinsed
05 - 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
06 - 1 cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh

→ Vegetables

07 - 2 medium carrots, sliced
08 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
09 - 2 cups chopped kale or spinach

→ Spices & Herbs

10 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
12 - 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
13 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
14 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

16 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
17 - Lemon wedges, for serving

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add sliced carrots and diced red bell pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
04 - Sprinkle in ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, dried oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to coat vegetables evenly with spices.
05 - Add drained white beans, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a gentle boil.
06 - Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender and flavors have melded.
07 - Stir in chopped kale or spinach and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted.
08 - Adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper according to preference.
09 - Ladle stew into bowls. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you've been cooking all day, but your actual time in the kitchen is genuinely short and manageable.
  • The flavors keep developing even as you eat it, with the lemon adding brightness that makes your taste buds wake up.
  • This stew is forgiving and flexible, so you can swap vegetables based on what's actually in your crisper drawer.
02 -
  • The moment you add the broth and beans, resist the urge to keep stirring, because gentle simmering creates a silky broth while aggressive stirring breaks down the beans too much and makes everything cloudier.
  • If your vegetable broth is salty, cut it back to three and a half cups because the stew concentrates as it simmers and you can always add more seasoning at the end but you can't take salt out.
03 -
  • Always rinse your canned beans under cold water before using them, this removes the starchy liquid that would otherwise make your stew feel thick and gluey instead of clean and silky.
  • If you want to add a bay leaf or a pinch of saffron, add the bay leaf at the beginning of cooking and remove it before serving, but save the saffron for the final ten minutes so it doesn't lose its color and complexity to long heat.
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