Hearty Bean & Kale Stew
a hearty, nutritious and flavorful stew that will warm you up on the coldest of days!
perfect as a family dinner, to share with friends or for a single meal with plenty of leftovers (it freezes well)
. . .
and no one will even notice that is completely oil-free!
Beans! All I ever want is beans! (singing to the tune of Beastie Boys “Girls“) … Yes, I do love beans that much and this stew is one of my absolute favorites!
Bean soup or stew is probably one of the most traditional Bulgarian dishes, so it is only logical for me to post this recipe on March 1st. As with any traditional recipe, I tend to change them up a bit to fit my own taste, so please don’t be tricked to think that this is too traditional; my own mother was appalled by some of the ingredients I added, but once the stew was done cooking, she tried it, liked it and even asked for seconds!
What is the significance of March 1st you ask? On March 1st we celebrate ‘Baba Marta’ (Grandmother Marta), an old Bulgarian tradition dating back to ancient pagan times - a symbol of spring, bringing wishes for health and fertility (agriculturally speaking) at the beginning of the new cycle in nature. On March 1st people exchange ‘martenitsa’ - a twisted white and red thread, most often woolen - for health and happiness. I had forgotten how many ‘martenitsa’ one can collect, my wrist looks like a Christmas tree at the moment! And now back to the bean soup …
The beans used in this stewy soup can be Cannellini or Navy beans - a great source of fiber, B vitamins and minerals. They are associated with helping reduce the waist line, blood sugar and blood pressure {study source - Regular consumption of pulses for 8 weeks reduces metabolic syndrome risk factors in overweight and obese adults}. You can also use dry Great Northern beans or canned Cannellini beans, see below for more details.
preparation details
Cooking your beans - when cooking beans the old-fashioned way, it is suggested that one should add a teaspoon of baking soda to help soften the beans and possibly help with gas (although I am not sure about that last statement - I think the more beans you consume, the more used your body gets to them, but there will always be a bit of a gassy phase … just keeping it real :)).
There are two ways of soaking beans:
Soak them overnight (I always forget) - place your beans in a large pot, cover with enough cold water (1:3 ratio of beans to water or at least 2 inches of water above the beans), add a teaspoon of baking soda and soak overnight. The next day discard the water, rinse and drain the beans, and they are ready to cook.
Simmer for 5 min. and soak for 2 hours (this is the method I typically use) - place your beans in a large pot over medium heat, cover with enough cold water (1:3 ratio of beans to water or at least 2 inches of water above the beans), add a teaspoon of baking soda and let it come to a simmer. Once it starts to simmer, you will notice a foamy substance on top - skim the top and keep doing that for the next 5 min., then turn off the heat and let the beans soak for couple of hours.
If you are pressed for time or simply not interested in the whole soaking beans ritual, simply use canned beans. It will make your life way easier for sure!
Prepping your veggies - while the beans are cooking, you can trim, deseed, peel and chop your veggies, but keep in mind that the discards are a great base for vegetable stock, so be sure to save them. See this blog post for full details about preparing an Easy Homemade Vegetable Broth.
I hope this tip brings you as much happiness as it brought me when I first discovered how to quickly remove the kale stem - simply hold the thick end of the stem with one hand, using your other hand pull upwards and the leafy part should come right off. You end-up with little green wands that you can compost, pretend to be a magician for a while or give to your kids to play with, but do not add to the soup because they are way too chewy and must be kept away. The leafy part I cut into ribbons and set aside to add towards the end of the cooking process.
As for the rest of the vegetables, I chop them up pretty uniformly (some sort of cube form) except for the carrots, which are cut into half-moons. But you can cut the veggies any way that makes you happy.
In my experience every type of bean cooks differently and so the way to know if they have cooked through is by tasting them … now, if you have a pressure cooker that is a whole different story and I am genuinely envious, but since I do not have one, I must use the really old-fashioned way of cooking. It takes about 40 min. for the beans alone to be cooked enough before adding the veggies. Again, if the whole soaking/ cooking beans ritual is not your thing, just use canned Cannellini beans.
Adding the kale in the last 10 min. of cooking allows it to cook, but not overcook. And do not worry, it may seem like a lot of kale when you first start adding it, but it sort of disappears in the soup and it will not be as noticeable.
Once I turn off the heat, I add couple of extras that, in my opinion, make the soup even more flavorful. Some people cook beans with parmesan rind for added flavor, what I do is add nutritional yeast at the end to mimic the flavor. Another addition is lemon juice and zest, which adds a nice touch of freshness to the stew. Both of these can be left out if you do not care for them, of course.
I love this stew and could eat it every other day during the colder months. It is full of flavor, super filling and so nutritious! And I promise you, no one will even notice that there is not even a drop of oil in it ;) I like serving it with some chopped parsley, a sprinkle of black cumin seeds* and some hot pepper flakes on top.
Keep in mind that it freezes really well, so can become a super-fast weekday dinner for the days when you just do not want to deal with cooking for dinner, but want something hearty and warm.
* According to studies, daily consumption of Black cumin, also known as Nigella sativa, have been linked to improving cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood sugar control, as well as accelerate the loss of body fat (link for source). Black cumin is not in the same family as cumin and it has a mild peppery flavor - sort of a combination between black pepper, cumin and onion. I typically add it to soups, salads, on top of avocado toasts and pretty much anywhere I can because it is simply delicious.
recipe
Hearty Bean & Kale Stew
A hearty, nutritious and flavorful stew that will warm you up on the coldest of days! Perfect as a family dinner, to share with friends or for a single meal with plenty of leftovers (it freezes well)!
{vegetarian & vegan friendly}
Author: The Kitchen Plot
Prep Time: 15 min.
Cook Time: 70 (using canned beans) - 190 min. (soaking dry beans)
Overall Time: 85 min. - 205 min.
Serves: 4 - 6
Perfect for: lunch, dinner
Keeps for: fridge - 3 days
freezer - 1 month
Ingredients:
500 g {3 cups} dry Navy (or dry Great Northern, soaked and ready to cook; canned Cannellini beans can be used instead
1 tsp baking soda (only use for soaking dry beans)
2 cups homemade vegetable broth or store-bought
4 cups water
1 yellow onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 carrot, cut into half-moons
1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
1 green pepper, deseeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 heaped tsp dried spearmint
1 heaped tsp dried savory
1 tsp universal spice blend
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (omit if not a fan of spicy)
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch kale (4 large leafs), stems removed and cut into ribbons
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped, for garnishing
black cumin, for garnishing
red pepper flakes, for garnishing (omit if not a fan of spicy)
Method:
If cooking dry beans, see explanation above about soaking methods. Once dry beans have been soaked, drain and rinse them, then add the vegetable broth and water to the pot and place over medium-high heat until it come to a boil. After that, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 40 min. before adding the vegetables.
If using canned beans, simply drain and rinse the beans, add to a pot over medium-high heat along with the vegetable broth and water, and let it come to a boil. After it boils, turn down the heat to medium and you are ready to add the vegetables, since there is no need to cook the beans.
Add the vegetables and the spices to the beans, mix well and cook for 20 min.
While the vegetables and beans are cooking, clean and chop the kale, then add to the stewy soup, mix well and cook for 10 min.
Once you turn off the heat, add the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and zest and stir.
Serve the stewy soup right away garnished with parsley, black cumin seeds and red pepper flakes. The soup is even better the next day when the flavor of the spices has been fully absorbed. It keeps for a few days in the refrigerator, but it is also great for storing in the freezer for a quick weekday dinner!
Bon appetit!
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