Roasted Tomato and White Bean Stew

By Colu Henry

Roasted Tomato and White Bean Stew
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(11,475)
Notes
Read community notes

This hearty, flexible stew comes together with pantry ingredients and delivers layers of flavors. Cherry tomatoes, roasted in a generous glug of olive oil to amplify their sweetness, lend a welcome brightness to this otherwise rich dish. Onion, garlic and red-pepper flakes form the backbone of this dish, to which white beans and broth are added, then simmered until thick. While this stew is lovely on its own, you could also add wilt-able greens such as kale, escarole or Swiss chard at the end, and toasted bread crumbs on top. The dish is vegan as written, but should you choose to top your bowl with a showering of grated pecorino or Parmesan, it would most likely work well in your favor.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • ½cup roughly chopped Italian parsley leaves and tender stems
  • 2teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
  • 2(10-ounce) containers cherry or grape tomatoes
  • ¼cup olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons and more for drizzling (optional)
  • 1tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 3large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 2(15-ounce) cans white beans (such as butter or cannellini), rinsed
  • 1½cups vegetable or chicken broth, or water
  • Flaky salt, for serving (optional)
  • Toasted bread, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

358 calories; 15 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 722 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, gently toss together the parsley and lemon zest with your hands until well combined; set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a large baking dish or on a sheet pan, toss the tomatoes with ¼ cup oil and thyme; season well with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes until they have collapsed and begin to turn golden around the edges, 20 to 25 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    When the tomatoes are almost done roasting, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large (12-inch), deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, garlic and red-pepper flakes and cook until the onion is softened and the garlic is fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the rinsed beans and broth and bring to a simmer. With the back of a spoon or spatula, gently smash about ½ cup of the beans so they slightly thicken the broth. If you want a thicker stew, crush some more of the beans. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    When the tomatoes are finished roasting, add them directly to the stew along with any juices that have been released. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more so the flavors become friendly; season to taste with salt.

  5. Step 5

    Ladle into shallow bowls. Top each serving with some of the lemon-parsley mixture and drizzle with more olive oil, and season with flaky salt, if you like. Serve with toasted bread.

Ratings

5 out of 5
11,475 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Johnny

I added a head of Swiss chard and about 5 fresh sage leaves (which I highly recommend because ), uh,white beans and sage...). Really wonderful.

Rere

This is really good and fast to make. Only thing I will say is the soup base is not red like the picture. I think maybe if I do this recipe again I’ll add some sun dried tomatoes or a little tomato paste.

Madeline

When is a parmesan rind ever a bad idea? With good wishes to everyone to stay home and stay healthy.

Grandie

AMAZING. I adapted the recipe after reading many of the comments. My husband & I rate our recipes & this one was 10/10! With the changes made, we have enough for 2 nights for two of us, w/perhaps a little leftover for a snack. I appreciated all the comments, as i do think the changes mattered: 1) CHOP the onions 2) Used 6 large garlic cloves 3) Used 3 Cans of Beans 4) Used 2 Cups of veggie broth 5) Added 2 T of Tomato Paste & a generous handful of Spinach in Step 4 GREAT. esp in cold weather

Susan

Very good. I added a little more stock and some chopped kale. The lemon zest and parsley really brighten the flavors.

kay slc

skipped parsley lemon since i didn't have any tomatoes were really done in 15 minutes used 1 cup chicken both WAS FANTASTIC AND WILL SERVE AGAIN AND AGAIN

T Palermo

Used a red onion instead of yellow. Decided to add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to give some more color and boost the tomato flavor. Also added a few handfuls of kale and another can of beans to increase the serving size since a few people commented that the original recipe did not feed four. Happily fed five people with enough left over for some seconds!

Shirley P

Two 10 ounce containers of cherry tomatoes not only means a trip to the store, but will cost about as much as a nice little steak (and this time of year even cherry tomatoes are so-so). Any suggestions for substituting some sort of canned tomatoes? How much? what type?

Celina

I used whole canned tomatoes and I roasted them with the oil, thyme and some oregano. Works fine - when you add them to the beans, add in some liquid chicken or vege stock to loosen on the stove.

Karen L Davis

4-6 servings? Are you kidding? More like half that, unless you add a lot more broth and turn it into a soup or dish out very small servings. Having read the comments beforehand, I halved the larger cherry tomatoes, so all would cook at about the same speed; upped the garlic; cooked the onions and garlic a bit longer until softened; added fresh sage. Also added roughly 1/2 c more broth. Sprinkled parmesan and squeezed lemon on top. But what about that lemon zest? Should it be grated?

Amy in Los Angeles

As written was good but a little too subtle for my taste. I added two chopped anchovies and a little red wine vinegar. Great day two.

juno

Add balsamic and 2TB of tomato paste to it at the end. I had to use sage as I did not have thyme. No red flake peppers, used siracha. Excellent and forgiving recipe. If you use extra olive oil to roast the tomatoes you can use it as dip/dizzle for the toast and it is really good.

Yelly

We used one can of butter beans and one can of kidney beans because that's what we had (#quarantinelife), and no parsley or thyme. Still quite tasty! Good effort to taste ratio. Especially good with my boyfriend's sourdough (which now he makes all the time because, again, #quarantinelife)

Kristin

I thought this recipe was just okay. It lacked an umami element. The instruction to “slice” the onion rather than chop it confuses me. I ended up with a stringy onion texture in the final dish that was unpleasant. It would be much better to start with chopped onions. Following one of the suggestions here, I added a generous helping of spinach at the end, which helped the dish. The lemon zest is a critical component; don’t skip it.

Lyd

Suggestions for using soaked dried beans?

Cynthia Rajski

Delicious made to exact recipe! I occasionally will sauté thin sliced chicken breast and add it to the stew when feeling a little more carnivorous. This recipe is a keeper. We enjoy it often!

bevgs

For my husband and young man who came for dinner I added some hot Italian sausage. Delicious both with and without.

Theresa

Followed some of the suggestions below by adding two tablespoons of tomato paste and a Parmesan rind. Delicious.

Sue

Threw in some cooked pasta and doubled the broth.

me

Used 3 cans of cannoli beans mashed about 3/4 cup. Sautéed on high ground turkey w/ s&p to a crip crust. Removed to bowl sauté 2 shallots & medium chopped onion in olive oil. Once almost down added 1 teaspoon of chili crunch. Added 2 T tomato paste & good squeeze of anchovy paste. Sautéed for 2 mins added about 1/4 cup red wine to deglaze. Them 1 whole carton on chix broth & added tomatoes. Tossed in 1/2 pecorino/romano cheese rind simmered 15 minutes. Refrigerated & reheated and added about Us

Sophie

No need to change a thing. Delicious and healthy just the way it is.

Julie

I “roast” the tomatoes in the pot while I prep the other ingredients. Added spinach at the end. Don’t skip the Parmesan and lemon zest! This is super easy and extremely delicious.

Diane B

Great recipe as is, but after making it the first time, I bumped up the beans to 3 cans, used 2 cups of broth, extra tomatoes cause *yum* and about a half tbsp of anchovy paste. Sadly there are never any leftovers! Loving the other ideas here! adding Swiss Chard and sage sounds delightful too!

Diane B

forgot - I only had 2 containers of cannellini beans so used those and added a can of pinto beans - smashed a bunch of beans, didn't measure - but the tomatoes and the pinto beans gave it the red color in the picture. I also agree with thinly slicing the onion over chopping. If I had a Parmesan rind I would have thrown it in. I think the half tablespoon of anchovy paste was a good decision, and also agree that the lemon/Parmesan mixture on top with a drizzle of olive oil is a must.

Zack

Weirdly disappointed in this one. It just felt like it needed more time or something to come together better. The beans were overshadowed by the tomato flavor, and slicing the garlic vs. mincing felt too big and messed up the texture. The parsley didn’t mix in all that well either and didn’t add much.

SoCaler

I followed the wise comments of many people, especially Grandie. Rather than putting in 6 cloves of garlic I put in the recipe's 3 and added 2 shallots. The added 1T of tomato and 1T of sun-dried tomato paste bumped up the color and depth of tomato flavor. My partner could not stop telling me how much he loved the dish, which is quite unusual! This is an incredibly flavorful dish that I'll put on my favorites list.

natasha

Concur with everyone else. This barely made enough for 4. I added Swiss chard which was nice and yes the lemon zest a must. I’m going to try the anchovies next time too.

Galen

I LOVED the simplicity and big flavors of this dish. Due to food intolerances, I ditched the onion and used garlic infused EVOO to paint the tomatoes instead of using raw garlic. The stew is delicious and I don’t miss the onions, but I’m curious about something I could substitute in their place for a little depth of texture.

MH

Really delicious, next time I’ll double the recipe. I used half Roma, half cherry tomatoes since I was short (cooked the Romas for 10 mins, then added the cherries for 15 more mins). Also added extra garlic, 2 T tomato paste, some chopped fresh sage and spinach. Glad I didn’t skip the parsley/lemon zest topping, as it really elevated the flavor

Raymond

I pretty much followed the directions. Didn't have any lemon. Added a bit more red pepper because I knew I wanted a little kick. Used a veggie broth. It was delicious!!! Roasting the tomatoes made all the difference in the world. Next time I might add some greens to it. Definitely a keeper!!

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