I’ve made so many versions of this spicy white bean stew over the years that I’ve lost count. I just know what I like: a super thick, deeply smoky tomato base, plenty of potatoes for substance, wilted greens for color and goodness, and a good hit of chili. This one comes together in about 45 minutes in one pot on the stove. Serve it with hunks of my no-knead whole wheat bread for dipping–the addictive spicy broth calls for it.
The tomato paste goes in with the aromatics before anything else is added. It cooks directly in the oil and spices for about a minute, which caramelizes it slightly and removes the raw edge. This step is what gives the stew its deep, brick-red color and concentrated flavor!
Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes make a noticeable difference to me. The smokiness is already built into the tomatoes, which layers beautifully with the smoked paprika and chili. If you can only find regular crushed tomatoes, a couple drops of liquid smoke at the end does a similar job. For a chunkier texture, diced tomatoes work well too.
This is one of those stews that benefits from sitting overnight. The potatoes absorb the broth, the spices mellow and deepen, and what was already quite good becomes even better. It’s a great one to make on a Sunday for the week ahead. It’s also the kind of filling, nourishing dinner that works for just about anyone gathering at the table.
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Smoky & Spicy White Bean Stew with Tomatoes & Kale
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
- 1 medium carrot, small dice
- 1 stick celery, small dice
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes, or to taste (see note)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ lb new potatoes, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ¾ cups (one 14.5 oz can) cooked navy beans, drained and rinsed
- 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup chopped green beans
- 2 cups chopped kale, packed
Notes
- The fire-roasted and crushed tomatoes from Muir Glen really bring out the smoky vibes here. A couple drops of liquid smoke would also be great if you have that around.
- I used a mix of dried Aleppo and Urfa chilis, but any dried chili flakes are fine. As always, adjust the amount to your own heat preference.
- I had beautiful green Romano beans on hand (a local hot house grows them all year), but you can use straight up green beans instead!
Instructions
- Heat a medium sized soup pot or brasier over medium heat. Once the pot is hot, pour in the oil.
- Add the onions to the pot and stir. Saute the onions until translucent and quite soft, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and celery to the pot and stir. Cook until the celery is softened and bright green, about 3 minutes. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and stir.
- Add the chili flakes, smoked paprika, thyme, and garlic to the pot and stir. Keep stirring until garlic is very fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir. Break up the tomato paste with your spoon and stir to coat the vegetables.
- Add the potatoes and navy beans to the pot and stir to coat in the seasonings. You should see a faint red slick at the bottom of the pot. Season the potatoes liberally with salt and pepper. Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot and stir to combine everything. Pour in the vegetable stock and stir once more.
- Place the lid on the pot and bring the stew to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and remove the lid. Simmer until the potatoes are quite tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add the chopped green beans to the pot and stir. Simmer until green beans are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the kale to the pot and push it down into the stew with your spoon. Place the lid back on the pot so that the kale can steam a bit. Let the kale wilt for about 30 seconds.
- Check the smoky and spicy white bean stew for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve the stew hot with ground black pepper on top, extra chili flakes, and chopped herbs of choice (I used chives from my garden).
This turned out wonderfully and we will definitely be making this again. I kept to the basic recipe, flavor profile and process, but winged it with the veggies I had on hand (fresh tomatoes in place of canned, had to skip the green beans, and had chard but no kale) and this solid recipe stood up well to the tweaks.
I love the sound of your change ups, Susan! I’m glad you enjoyed the stew.
-L
My son just came home from the hospital following major heart surgery. I am looking for filling, heart healthy recipes and came across this. I also had a lot of kale to use, so this recipe was perfect. I made it last night and we all thought it was delicious!
Thank you!
I just made this for the second time and it’s so delicious!
I’m really glad that you’re enjoying it, Linda! :)
-L
This stew is perfect: flavorful, simple, and whole fam loved it. Thank you!
I brought this to a gathering and people could not stop talking about it!! Will definitely make it again!
I LOVE this stew. It is so so easy and I typically have all of the ingredients for it on hand (I use dried herbs and skip the celery because I am not a huge fan and can never seem to use it up!). I have made it twice using frozen green beans and it will definitely be one of my go to recipes for a long time. I have used both diced regular and diced fire roasted tomatoes. Thought I prefer the fire roasted, it was equally delicious with the regular diced. So flavorful and so quick and easy!
This was incredible!!! Made my second batch today and only difference is the first time (a week ago!) I used petite diced tomatoes and today I used crushed. I think I liked the consistency with the diced but man oh man – what a flavor sensation. Thank you!!!!
This is sooooo goooooood!
What a fabulous recipe! Certainly a fave in this house! Quick question… will zucchini work in this recipe or will it cause the overall texture to become too runny?
Do you mean zucchini in place of the potatoes? It would be totally fine in that case. I’d just reduce the vegetable stock by half to start since you won’t have the starch and thickness of the potatoes in the mix.
-L
made a few days ago. use high quality canned tomatoes that are fire roasted. will make a big difference. cut the potato small so that thy will be done cooking in twenty minutes or they will take much longer and not sit under the liquid. use the exact spices she says and it will taste great. put in some whole thyme sprigs if you dont want to bother pulling off the leaves and remove them later as you eat. i didnt see navy beans so i used great northern and they were perfect. the potato makes this a hearty dish.use the veg stock and not water. she has the soup flavor down if you dont alter it. excellent!
Came out wonderful!!! It was so quick and delish! Thanku so much for sharing!!
I just made this and it was absolutely delicious! It’s also still chilly and rainy here in Ireland (but that’s not a surprise!) so this was perfect. Thank you!
This stew looks fabulous! It’s been raining nonstop here in CT (which I don’t mind! My flowers need it!), so soups and stews have been my go-to. I also really appreciate your words on your social media break. I have not taken more than a day off of Instagram in over a year so I am due for a break myself! I’m actually leaving to go to Disney World with my family later this week, so I think I’m going to take my break then :)
Looks great! So comforting and delicious!