This delicious Tuscan Bean Stew is an easy one‑pot dinner. Bursting with Tuscan flavours, it can be prepared on the stovetop or in a slow cooker.
🍴 Why you will love this recipe
This rich, hearty bean stew is incredibly simple to make yet full of classic Italian flavours. Using mostly storecupboard ingredients and fresh vegetables, it’s economical, straightforward and nutritious.
Serve it warm with a crisp green salad and slices of sourdough to mop up the sauce, or make it a comforting winter supper with a baked potato and steamed greens.
Choose to cook it on the stovetop in a large casserole or leave it to cook low and slow in a slow cooker — both methods work beautifully.
📝 What you need
Ingredients
Olive oil — start with a good cooking olive oil. Reserve any high-quality extra‑virgin olive oil for drizzling over the finished stew or for dipping bread.
Red onion, leek, carrot, celery — a gentle soffritto of onion, celery and carrot forms the flavour base. Leek and garlic add extra depth. Cook these slowly to soften and release their aromas rather than browning them.
Garlic — use crushed fresh garlic or ready‑chopped garlic from a jar; don’t skimp on it — garlic is one of the heroes of this dish.
Borlotti and cannellini beans — tinned beans make this recipe quick and convenient, but cooked dried beans work well too if you prefer.
If you can’t find borlotti or cannellini, other tinned beans (haricot, butter beans, kidney, black-eye or black beans) or a mix of beans and lentils will work.
Brown sugar — a little sweetness helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Substitute maple syrup, date syrup or agave if you prefer.
Balsamic vinegar — optional, but it adds a pleasant depth and tang to the finished stew.
Equipment
You can make this stew on the hob or in a slow cooker. For stovetop cooking, a sturdy casserole dish with a lid is ideal. For slow cooking, any basic slow cooker will do — choose the size that fits your batch.
🔪 How to make your Tuscan Bean Stew
For a full, printable recipe with exact quantities and timings, see the recipe card below.
Finely chop the red onion and leek and fry gently in olive oil until soft. Add chopped carrot, celery and crushed garlic and cook a few more minutes to soften.
Trim and slice the red pepper and add it to the pan, seasoning with salt and black pepper.
Drain and rinse the borlotti and cannellini beans, then add them to the pan with passata, water, stock powder, oregano, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook a further 10 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy.
Slow cooker: follow the same first steps to soften the vegetables, then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on high for 3–4 hours or low for 5–6 hours. Stir in spinach or kale for the final 10 minutes.
🍅 Variations
This Tuscan stew is versatile — try these simple variations to keep it interesting:
- Make it spicy — add ½ teaspoon chilli flakes or a fresh chilli with the pepper. Smoked paprika also works well for a smoky note.
- Make it herby — stir through plenty of chopped fresh herbs just before serving; parsley and basil are excellent together.
- Make it lentil-forward — swap the cannellini beans for a tin of green or brown lentils for a different texture.
👩🏽🍳 Expert Tips and FAQs
You can’t overcook this stew. Keep it simmering gently for as long as needed — the flavours only improve with time.
Adjust the consistency to suit your taste. If it’s too thin, increase the heat and reduce until thick. If it’s too thick, add a splash of water until it’s right.
Embrace improvisation. This is rustic cooking — swap ingredients, use what you have and tailor the seasoning to your preferences.
Yes — it freezes well in individual portions and often tastes even better the next day after the flavours have mellowed.
Freeze in portions, but consider leaving out delicate leafy greens like spinach or kale and add them when reheating to avoid a slimy texture. Taste and adjust seasoning after defrosting.
Yes — follow the stovetop vegetable softening steps, then transfer everything to a slow cooker and cook on high for 3–4 hours or low for 5–6 hours.
Tinned beans are versatile and nutritious. Use them in curries, hummus, stews, burgers or salads — they form the basis of many quick, budget-friendly meals.
Serve with crusty bread and a crisp green salad for a rustic meal, or pair with vegan dauphinoise potatoes, cauliflower mash or steamed vegetables for something heartier. It also makes a great jacket potato filling.
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🍴 If you liked that…
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📖 Recipe
Tuscan Bean Stew with garlic & oregano
Kate Ford | The Veg Space
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion
- 1 leek
- 3 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp ready‑chopped garlic)
- 1 large carrot
- 2 sticks celery
- 1 red pepper
- 400 g tin borlotti beans
- 400 g tin cannellini beans
- 500 g passata
- 250 ml water
- 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (and/or dried thyme)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar (or maple syrup/date syrup/agave)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)
- handful baby spinach or curly kale
Instructions
To make on the hob / stovetop:
- Heat the olive oil in a deep lidded frying pan or casserole.
- Finely chop the onion and leek and cook gently for 3–4 minutes until starting to soften.
- Peel and chop the carrot, trim and chop the celery, and peel and crush the garlic. Add to the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes more.
- Trim and slice the red pepper and add to the pan. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Drain and rinse the tinned beans and tip into the pan. Add the passata and water, then the stock powder, oregano, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the lid and simmer a further 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced and is glossy.
- Remove any thick stalks from the spinach or kale, stir through for the final two minutes of cooking. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with steamed greens or a crisp salad and sourdough bread.
To make in a slow cooker:
- Follow the stovetop steps 1–4 to soften the vegetables, then transfer them to the slow cooker.
- Add the drained beans, passata, water, stock powder, oregano, brown sugar and balsamic vinegar to the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 3–4 hours or on low for 5–6 hours. Add spinach or kale for the last 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.
Notes
You can’t overcook this stew. Keep it at a gentle simmer or warm it in a low oven if needed.
Adjust consistency to taste. Reduce to thicken, or stir in a little water to loosen.
Rustic and flexible. Substitute ingredients freely — this recipe is forgiving and adaptable.
Nutrition
Calories: 293 kcal
Carbohydrates: 47 g
Protein: 12 g
Fat: 8 g
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