White Bean Tomato Stew

This simple white bean tomato stew is one of my favorite comforting vegan dinner recipes. Simply pair with warm bread, fresh herbs and feta!

This vegan white bean tomato stew makes me feel like I’m sitting in a cozy, beautiful cottage in the Italian countryside. With some crusty bread and a glass of wine, I can almost pretend I’m on vacation!

In all seriousness, it’s such a comforting dish, and it couldn’t be easier to make. It’s naturally vegan, gluten free and packed with flavor. It makes for fantastic leftovers, too!

This white bean stew is a little Italian, a little Greek – we’ll just call it Mediterranean in general. Good quality canned tomatoes are a must, along with fresh herbs and plenty of seasoning. With just a few simple ingredients, you can make a restaurant-quality dinner!

Canned or dried beans?

Since we’re considering this a weeknight dinner, we used canned. As long as you’re using a quality brand, there’s not too much of a difference. And you’ll cut the cook time by a few hours!

If you’d prefer to use dried beans, you’ll have to pre-soak them before cooking. There are two ways to accomplish this: 1. Cover beans in cold water and soak overnight. 2. Cover beans in cold water, bring to a boil, remove from heat and soak for 1 hour.

Next, drain the beans, transfer to a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Season liberally with salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are tender.

Note: if using dried beans, be sure to sort through them and rinse before using. Watch out for any small rocks or other debris.

What type of white beans should I use for stew?

Technically, there are a few different varieties of white beans. They include cannellini beans, navy beans, Great Northern beans and white lima beans. Each differs slightly in size, texture and flavor.

We prefer to use cannellini beans in this recipe, but Great Northern beans are the next best option. If you don’t have either, navy or lima beans will work, too. The texture will just be slightly different!

Be sure to drain and rinse the canned beans before adding to the stew. Since they’re already cooked, you won’t want to stir them too much, otherwise they’ll end up a bit mushy.

Build a flavorful base for your white bean stew

There are a few key ingredients that make this white bean tomato stew extra flavorful:

• Diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Tomatoes add a ton of flavor to the broth base of this stew. Be sure to use good quality tomato products! There’s a huge difference in quality between brands. Cheaper, mass-produced canned tomatoes tend to have a very acidic, tinny flavor. Our favorite brands include Mutti, Muir Glen, San Marzano and Cento. The same goes for tomato paste. The higher quality, the more concentrated, rich tomato flavor!
• Fresh herbs. Fresh parsley, basil and thyme add so much flavor to this white bean stew. Dried herbs just don’t compare in flavor in this kind of dish! Plus, you can use leftovers for garnish. I always load mine up with fresh parsley.
• Garlic! We use 6 large cloves in this stew, but if you’re a garlic aficionado, feel free to use even more! Fresh = flavor.
• Red wine vinegar. It might seem like an unnecessary ingredient, but it adds the perfect amount of acidity to balance all of the flavors. A splash or red or white wine would do the trick, too.

When it comes to garnishes, this white bean stew isn’t complete without a generous handful of vegan (or regular) feta or parmesan. The perfect salty counterpart to a rich, tomato-based broth!

I also load mine up with more fresh herbs, more red pepper flakes and of course, plenty of bread for dipping and soaking up all of that delicious tomato broth.

This stew is best served piping hot and fresh. To enjoy leftovers, gently simmer on the stove until heated all the way through. It also stores well for meal prep!

More delicious vegan weeknight dinners

• Vegan Shakshuka with Tofu
• Vegan Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells
• Quinoa Vegetable Stew
• Sweet Potato Risotto with Kale and Hazelnuts
• Vegan Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

If you make this vegan white bean tomato stew recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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