This dreamy quinoa and white bean stew is nourishing, comforting, and completely vegetarian. It's also easy to make and is packed with protein!
It's feeling like stew season and I'm here for it. As the weather starts to get cooler, it's pretty much all my body craves!
Today's new recipe is the coziest, most comforting, most delicious stew ever. It's got white beans, mushrooms, tomatoes and quinoa. It's nourishing, it's easy to make and I know you're going to LOVE it.
Plus, this white bean stew is 100% vegan and gluten-free, and my goal was to make it as meat eater-friendly as possible!
What You Need to Make the Stew
I like to keep things simple around here, so you really don't need anything fancy to make this recipe. My goal was to give it lots of flavor, keep the ingredient list short and also give it a kind meat-like texture that even meat eaters would enjoy. Here's what you need to make it:
- Tomatoes: we're using both crushed tomatoes and tomato paste
- Canned white beans: I like how buttery and soft they are, but you could replace them with whatever types of beans you'd like
- Shallots: I like using them over onion sometimes because they're a bit sweeter
- Garlic: because… you just gotta have garlic!
- Sun-dried tomatoes: a secret way to for us to amp up the flavor, but also give the stew some “meatiness”
- Mushrooms: I like to finely chop my mushrooms so they cook down and feel kind of like pieces of meat
- Spices: I kept it simple and did Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. It's really all it needs!
And then I serve it with quinoa. It adds a bit more protein and I love the way the fluffy quinoa combines with the hearty stew.
How to Make White Bean Stew
While this isn't a slow cooker recipe, it is an easy recipe. Just a few simple steps and about an hour to let it simmer on the stove to build up the flavor.
STEP ONE: SautƩ
The first is to saute your onions, garlic, and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil. Once they're soft and fragrant, you're ready for step two.
STEP TWO: Simmer
The second step is to add the rest of your ingredients and bring the mixture to a simmer. Allow it to simmer for a good hour or so, so you can really develop the flavor.
STEP THREE: Serve
Once you've let it simmer, you've got the flavors where you want, you're good to go! It's time to serve it up and dig in.
What to Serve with Our White Bean Stew
My secret weapon is diced mushrooms which help the stew feel a bit meatier in texture, while still keeping it healthy and plant-based.
And in addition to the canned tomatoes, there's also a handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes which add such a great flavor and just a bit more intensity to the dish. Their flavor is quite concentrated, so every few bites you'll get a burst of tomato and it helps to bring the whole stew to life.
Of course, I served ours with quinoa, but you could also substitute brown rice or even serve this over pasta (or zucchini noodles). It's hearty, but since it's vegetarian, I find that it still feels light and could easily be enjoyed on its own as well.
Can You Freeze This?
Yes and yes! That's one of my favorite things about this white bean stew!
If you want to store this for later ā or meal prep it ā you can do it two ways:
- Fridge: keep it in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Freezer: allow the stew to cool completely before closing it up in an airtight container. Freeze for 3 – 6 months. Allow the stew to thaw at room temperature and then reheat the same way.
I can't wait to hear what you think of this recipe!! As you can see it's SO easy, but it's also delicious. And feel free to add in more veggies if you want too!
More Amazing & Healthy Stew Recipes to try:
- Tuscan Kale & White Bean Stew
- Root Vegetable + Lentil Quinoa Stew
- Slow Cooker Moroccan Chickpea Stew
- Detox Turmeric Lentil Soup
- Kitchari: Gut Healing & Anti-Inflammatory
Nourishing Quinoa + White Bean Stew
Ingredients
- 1 shallot diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 lb mushrooms diced
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes diced
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15oz can white beans
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste I buy the kind in the tube so they keep better
- 2 teaspoons Italian herb blend
- 2 cups water
- Salt + pepper to taste
- 2 cups cooked quinoa to serve
Instructions
- Heat oil in a dutch oven medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook until mushrooms begin to soften and release their liquids, about 2 minutes.
- Add sun dried tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, white beans, tomato paste and herbs and stir together.
- Stir in salt, pepper and water, and bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook partially covered for 1 hour.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve warm into bowls and top with a scoop of quinoa (or serve quinoa under the stew if you so choose). Enjoy!
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