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This white bean stew is a classic recipe that will fill your belly and warm you right up! With the insanely delicious flavor, this hearty stew will be your guests’ favorite and fly off the table!
I love stew, especially in the wintertime! It’s nice to have a meal that keeps me warm and full at the same time! Try out some other favorites like this one-pot chicken stew, this fantastic beef stew or even this vegetable stew!
What is Bean Stew?
Bean stew is a hearty soup made with all sorts of vegetables, seasoned broth, and of course, white beans! It’s chock full of amazing ingredients, and your body will thank you later for filling it up with such good and healthy things! White beans are a nutritional powerhouse and packed with good protein and fiber. But just because it’s healthy doesn’t mean it has to taste bad! This bean stew tastes delicious and is super easy to make. You cook everything in one pot, so the clean-up is a breeze!
My kids will eat this soup and not just choke it down… they actually love it! It’s a classic that is constantly on the menu for those cold and dreary winter months. Plus, not only is this soup simple to make, but it takes less than 45 minutes from start to finish, and you will have a delicious dinner ready to go on the table! Serve this up with some breadsticks and a salad and you are ready to eat! Trust me when I say that this dish isn’t one you want to miss out on!
Ingredients to Make Stew
Once you have your pot and veggies ready to go, making this stew will be so easy! See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.
- Olive Oil: This is used to cook your vegetables in so that they get nice and tender.
- Onion: Dice this up into small pieces so that you can have flavor in every bite!
- Carrots: Peel these and chop them up before putting these in this stew.
- Celery: My kids like the celery chopped into tiny pueces but you can cut these up into whatever size that you want!
- Garlic: minced garlic adds such a great flavor to this stew.
- Tomato Paste: The paste helps add to the thick texture and also adds in some flavor at the same time!
- Salt and Pepper: These are used for flavoring.
- Italian Seasoning: You can use storebought seasoning or try out my Homemade Italian Seasoning recipe.
- Vegetable Broth: This is the base of the stew.
- Diced Tomatoes : More veggies and flavor for the broth!
- Potato: Peel your potatoe and chop it up into similar sized pieces so that it cooks evenly.
- White Beans: drain and rinse these before putting them in the stew.
- Fresh Parsley: This is used for a garnish right before you serve the stew.
How to Make White Bean Stew
In less than 45 minutes, you will be enjoying a delicious and hearty stew that will fill your entire family right up! It’s so good and healthy that you don’t even need to make any extra sides if you don’t want to!
- Cook and Soften Vegetables: In a large pot over medium high heat, add the olive oil, onions, carrots, and celery. Cook and stir for about 8 minutes to soften the vegetables.
- Add Seasonings: Add the garlic, tomato paste, dried Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Combine and Simmer: Pour in the vetagable broth, diced tomatoes (with liquid), potato, and white beans (drained and rinsed). Stir to combine, cover with a lid, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a side of French bread!
What Kind of Beans Should I Use?
In bean stew, you can use various kinds of beans! My favorites to use are canned white, navy, cannellini, or great northern beans!
How to Store (or Freeze!) Bean Stew
This soup makes fantastic leftovers and an even better freezer meal! So you should double up this recipe and save your leftovers for later. You will be so glad that you did!
- To Store in the Refrigerator: Once your stew has cooled then transfer it to an airtight container. It will last in your fridge for about 3-4 days.
- To Freeze: Cook your soup up as directed and wait for it to cool. Once it has cooled, then place it in a freezer ziplock bag or airtight container (make sure to label it with the date). Leave a little bit of room for it to expand as it freezes. It can stay in your freezer for up to 3 months. Once you remove it, if it has separated and needs to be thickened then you can thicken it up with some cornstarch or flour. The consistency should go back to normal.
How to Reheat White Bean Stew
When you are ready to eat your stew again, you can take it out of your fridge and place it in a pot and reheat it on your stove. Turn your stove to medium heat and stir until your bean stew is heated through. If you are taking it out of your freezer then place it in your fridge to thaw overnight before heating it on the stove. Enjoy!
More Yummy Stew Recipes
Stew is great because you can cook it with one pot and it has all of the protein and vegetables that you need. They make for easy recipes, especially during winter, because they don’t take long and they warm me from the inside out! Here are a few more stew recipes that you can’t miss! They are all super delicious.
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Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3 whole carrots, peeled, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon dried Italian Seasoning
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 large potato, peeled, chopped
- 3 (15 ounce) cans white beans (drained and rinsed)
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil, onions, carrots, and celery. Cook and stir for about 8 minutes to soften the vegetables.
- Add the garlic, tomato paste, dried Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes (with liquid), potato, and white beans (drained and rinsed). Stir to combine, cover with a lid, and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with a side of French bread!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Another family favorite! I love the fact that I get all of the protein needed without meat and that it’s satisfyingly filling. We opted for 3 types of beans (great northern / cannellini / garbanzo (chick peas). I thought the seasonings were great, no need to add anything besides some freshly shredded Parm. Delish!
Can I substitute sweet potatoes in the bean stew? I gave up eating white potatoes. If not, will add another vegetable. Just don’t want to ruin the flavor. Thank you.
Hi Ann, thank you for the question. You can substitute sweet potatoes for white, but I haven’t tested this recipe with sweet potatoes, so I can’t guarantee the flavor. I am sure it will taste good if you like sweet potatoes! Let me know how it turns out!
Do potatoes get mushy when defrosted?
Hi Laura, thank you for your question. I’ve found they are a little softer but not mushy. I hope this helps!
Could you use chicken broth instead of veggie broth?
Definitely!
would this work in an instant pot
Yep! Sauté your veggies and then pressure cook everything on high pressure for 10 minutes.
I found your recipe as I was looking for a bean stew. I didn’t use Italian seasoning as I wanted a basic stew to add additional twists since it makes a lot. Tonight I used Nunu’s Cajun seasoning from their market in Scott, LA (right on I-10). I plan to add freshly grated Parmesan cheese next bowl and possibly ham bits as a topper after that. It was so easy to make. My husband the meat-eater thought it was quite good.
Can this be made in an instant pot?
Yes, saute your veggies either in a skillet or by using the saute function on your instant pot. Then add all the ingredients, close, seal, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
Regrettably one of the worst recipies I have made in a long time. The Italian seasoning was overwhelming, with very little flavour outside of the dreadful amount of that seasoning, and was thin and watery. What a waste of ingredients.
I’m so sorry this didn’t turn out for you!
This was pretty good. My wife said it reminded her of minestrone. If I make it again, I’m going to back off the Italian seasoning a bit. That part was a little too much for me. I think it would also be good if cabbage was added.
I made a few alterations to this recipe to fit my personal preferences, but I reckon the original would work wonderfully!