Smoky Butter Bean Tomato Stew

Ingredients

• 🥫Canned Butter Beans, drained and rinsed3 can
• 🧅Yellow Onion, finely diced1 onion
• 🧄Garlic, minced4 clove
• 🫑Red Bell Pepper, diced1 pepper
• 🥫Tomato Paste2 tbsp
• 🥫Crushed Tomatoes1 can
• 🍲Vegetable Stock, hot1 cup
• 🌶️Smoked Paprika2 tsp
• 🌿Dried Oregano1 tsp
• 🌿Bay Leaves1 leaf
• 🫒Extra Virgin Olive Oil2 tbsp
• 🧊Lemon Juice, fresh1 tbsp
• 🌿Flat-Leaf Parsley, chopped2 tbsp
• 💧Wateras needed

Contains Celery, Garlic, Gluten, Onion. AI-generated, checked against common allergens; always check labels.

Method

1. 1

   Drain the beans

   Tip the Butter Beans into a colander and rinse them under cold water, tossing them gently with your hand for about 30 seconds until the liquid runs clear and the beans stop feeling slippery. Let them drain well so they do not thin out the stew later; if they still look glossy, give the colander a few extra shakes.

   2 min
2. 2

   Dice the onion

   Peel the Yellow Onion, cut it in half through the root, and dice it into small, even pieces so it will melt into the base of the stew. Spend about 2 minutes on the cut; the pieces should look neat and glossy with no ragged chunks, and if your eyes sting, keep the root end intact until the last moment next time.

   2 min
3. 3

   Crush and mince the Garlic Cloves with the flat of your knife.

4. 4

   Chop them until the pieces are very small and damp, which helps them disappear into the sauce. This takes about 1 minute, and the garlic should smell sharply fragrant but not browned; if it starts to paste under the blade, scrape it back into a pile and keep cutting.

   1 min
5. 5

   Dice the pepper

   Cut the Red Bell Pepper open, pull out the core and seeds, and dice the flesh into bite-size pieces so it softens at the same pace as the onion. Give yourself about 2 minutes, and aim for pieces with crisp edges and bright red colour; if any strips are too long, slice them crosswise before cooking.

   2 min
6. 6

   Set a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat and warm the Extra Virgin Olive Oil until it shimmers and slides easily across the base. Add the Yellow Onion and Red Bell Pepper.

7. 7

   Stir with a wooden spoon for about 6 minutes until the onion turns translucent at the edges and the pepper smells sweet; if the vegetables start to brown too fast, lower the heat a little and keep them moving.

   6 min
8. 8

   Bloom the aromatics

   Stir the Garlic Cloves into the vegetables and cook for about 60 seconds over medium heat, just until the garlic turns fragrant and loses its raw sting. Add the Smoked Paprika and Dried Oregano straight into the hot oil and stir for another 30 seconds; the spices should smell deeper and warmer, not dusty, and if they cling too dryly, splash in the stock a moment earlier.

   2 min
9. 9

   Push the vegetables to one side of the skillet and add the Tomato Paste to the open space, pressing it flat so it touches the hot base directly. Cook it for about 60 seconds until it darkens to a brick-red sheen and smells sweet rather than sharp.

   1 min
10. 10

    Stir it through the vegetables; if it starts sticking hard, loosen it with a splash of stock before it burns.

11. 11

    Pour in the Crushed Tomatoes and hot Vegetable Stock.

12. 12

    Add the Bay Leaf and stir well to lift any sticky bits from the base. Bring the mixture up over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes until it bubbles actively around the edges and turns glossy red.

    4 min
13. 13

    Lower the heat if it starts spitting hard; that simmering motion is what knits the sauce together.

14. 14

    Simmer until creamy

    Stir the Butter Beans into the bubbling sauce, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the beans do not catch on the bottom. The stew is ready for the next step when the sauce has thickened enough to coat a spoon and the beans taste tender and creamy, not chalky; if it looks too tight, loosen it with a small splash of stock or water.

    10 min
15. 15

    Finish and rest

    Turn off the heat, pull out the Bay Leaf, and stir in the Lemon Juice so the bright acid wakes up the tomatoes without making the stew sour. Let the skillet sit for about 3 minutes; the surface will calm from a lively simmer to a gentle sheen, and that short rest helps the sauce settle into a thicker, silkier texture.

    3 min
16. 16

    Serve with parsley

    Ladle the stew into warm bowls and scatter the Flat-Leaf Parsley over the top so the green pieces stay bright against the red sauce. Serve immediately while the beans are creamy and the surface still glistens; if you want a looser bowl, spoon in a little extra stock from the skillet before plating.

    1 min

Nutrition per serving