Vegan Spanish White Bean Stew

This vegan Spanish white bean stew is a filling dish that's super easy to make in one pot. You can have it on the table in just 30 minutes for a tasty, satisfying dinner the entire family will love.

If you're after something even heartier, my Spanish lentil soup uses the same smoked paprika base but swaps the beans for lentils and potatoes.

White bean recipes can sometimes be a bit bland, but not this one. This Spanish white bean stew has a rich tomato sauce that's full of flavour, and what's even better, it's ready in just 30 minutes.

I like to have it with a chunk of crusty bread to dip in the sauce, but you can also serve it with a simple salad. It's the perfect plant-based weeknight dinner that's also super healthy as it's high in protein and doesn't contain any processed ingredients.

What do you need to make this stew?

This recipe is easy to adapt, as you can add carrots, celery, or different types of beans if you want.

Here's what you need to make it:

Olive oil - use some quality extra virgin olive oil if possible. If you want to make this recipe oil-free, you can sauté the onion and sweet red pepper in some vegetable stock instead.

Onion - you can use any kind of onion for this vegan Spanish stew. I sometimes make it with red onion, and it turns out great.

Sweet red pepper - I prefer red peppers in Spanish-styles recipes, but if you want, you can use other colors as well.

Paprika - you can substitute this with smoked paprika if you want your stew to be on the smokier side.

Chopped tomatoes - plum tomatoes work too, but you need to crush them by hand before adding them to the pot or with the back of your spoon while they're cooking.

Canned white beans (cannellini) - I make this stew with canned beans for convenience, but if you want to use dried beans, you need to soak them overnight and then simmer for approximately 30 minutes before using them in the stew.

How do you make Spanish white bean stew?

You only need one pot to make this stew. I typically use a cocotte (Dutch oven) to make this type of dish because it distributes heat evenly and does a great job retaining heat.

• Start by heating the olive oil and fry the onion and red pepper for 5-6 minutes until they soften.
• Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for another minute until fragrant.

• Add the paprika and thyme, stir to combine, then add the chopped tomatoes and bay leaves. Stir to combine and add the beans and stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaves, season to taste and serve with crusty bread or a salad.

Recipe notes and tips

• If you want some heat, add some red pepper flakes with the other spices.
• The beans will continue to release starch as the stew cools, so you may need to add a bit of extra stock when reheating it.
• This Spanish white bean stew will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. You can also freeze it in an air-tight container for up to a month.

If you liked this vegan Spanish white bean stew, have a look at some of my other easy vegan stews:

Easy Vegan Pea and Potato Stew

Ciambotta (Italian Vegetable Stew)

Vegan Sweet Potato Chickpea Stew

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