There’s nothing like Mom’s homemade stew – the ultimate in comfort food! This week’s recipe post comes from blogger Jess Spate, who adapted this hearty stew from her mother’s original recipe, which has evolved a bit since changing hands. We love how easy it is to make with minimal prep time and clean-up. Try out this stew for a simple weeknight supper!
This bean and vegetable stew makes a great vegetarian or vegan main dish or it can be served up alongside a couple of sausages and a scoop of mashed potato. Alternately, adding a couple of cubed chicken breasts makes it into a hearty dinner for meat lovers. The dish keeps well in the refrigerator and if you make too much it can be frozen to eat later. Defrost in the microwave or slowly on the hob- it will taste just as good as it did fresh.
Like most stews, this one allows for plenty of variation. Leftover vegetables or cold cuts of meat can be added to it. Just increase the quantities of carrot, tomato concentrate, and peanut butter if you use more ingredients.
It’s very easy to make a good nutty bean and tomato stew, and while it does take about an hour to cook, preparation time is minimal. As long as you don’t forget to come back and take it off the heat, you’re free to relax or get other tasks out of the way before dinner is ready!
Recipe: Nutty Bean and Tomato Stew
Ingredients
- 1 large potato
- 1 brown onion
- 1 large carrot
- 4 button mushrooms
- 1 zucchini
- 1 tin of butter beans (or blackeye beans if you can’t find the butter variety)
- Peanut butter, either smooth or crunchy
- Tomato paste
- A pinch of thyme
Instructions
- Heat two inches of water in the bottom of a large, deep saucepan. This dish only requires a single pot, which saves on washing up, but it does need to be a fairly big one. While the water is warming up, cube the potato and put that in. It doesn’t matter if the water hasn’t come to the boil yet.
- Slice the zucchini and the onion into fine chunks and add them too.
- Peel the skin from the mushrooms and remove the stems. Grate the caps finely, and do the same with the carrot. Add the grated vegetables to the mix. At this point you’ll probably want to add a little more water to make sure all the ingredients are well covered.
- Add one tablespoon of peanut butter, one heaped tablespoon of tomato paste, and stir in well. This will add color, flavor, and a delicious aroma to the stew. If you like the taste of thyme, add a pinch or two.
- Stir in an extra cup of water and turn the heat down to low. Allow the pot to simmer gently for about an hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so. The potato chunks should be just starting to fall apart when it’s ready.
Quick Notes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: dinner
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