Bean Stew with Fennel & Tomatoes
Submitted by buster433
Vegetarian bean stew with slow-cooked fennel and tomatoes in olive oil. Cannellini beans simmered in broth then tossed with wilted fennel, fresh parsley, and lemon.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minCannellini beans simmered until just tender, then folded into a skillet of slow-wilted fennel and chunky tomatoes drenched in good olive oil. A squeeze of lemon at the end pulls everything bright and sharp. This is the kind of rustic Italian-leaning stew that tastes like it took all day but mostly just asks for patience while the beans do their thing.
The fennel is the star here. You’ll need about 8 cups of thinly sliced bulb, which cooks down dramatically over 10-12 minutes until silky and translucent. That transformation from raw anise crunch to sweet, mellow silk is what gives this stew its depth. Save those feathery fronds for stirring in at the end with the parsley.
Cook the beans softer than al dente but stop before they start falling apart. They need to hold their shape when tossed with the fennel and tomato. Crushing the garlic cloves unpeeled and simmering them whole keeps the flavor mellow rather than sharp.
This stew is just as good at room temperature as it is warm, which makes it a natural for make-ahead meals or summer dinners.
Chef Tips
- Soak the beans overnight for even cooking. A quick-soak method (boil 1 minute, rest 1 hour) works in a pinch but overnight gives better texture.
- Cook the fennel in batches if your skillet is crowded. Piling it in steams rather than sautees, and you lose that sweet caramelization.
- Don’t add the lemon juice until you pull the pan off the heat. Acid added to hot beans can toughen their skins.
- Use a generous hand with the olive oil. It’s doing the heavy lifting for richness in a meatless stew.
Variations
- Add sausage: Brown sliced Italian sausage before cooking the fennel in the same skillet for a heartier version.
- Greens boost: Stir in a few handfuls of baby spinach or torn kale in the last few minutes for extra color and nutrition.
- Spice it up: A pinch of red pepper flakes added with the tomatoes brings gentle heat that pairs well with the sweet fennel.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak beans in a large bowl of water to cover for several hours or overnight. Drain.
Place soaked beans into a pot with stock or broth and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add bay leaf and whole garlic cloves. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until beans are tender (about 45 minutes). (The beans should be softer than al dente but not cooked to the point where they begin to disintegrate.)
Don’t drain beans until fennel and tomato sauce is cooked.
- Meanwhile, cut stalks off fennel bulb. Chop the feathery leaves and reserve. Trim off root end of the bulbs; cut bulbs in half lengthwise and slice thinly. There should be about 8 cups of fennel slices. Discard stalks or save for soup.
Heat ⅓ cup olive oil in a large heavy skillet; cook fennel over medium-low heat until wilted and translucent, about 10 to 12 minutes. Do this in batches if necessary.
- Add tomato to fennel; cook 5 or 6 minutes. Discard garlic and bay leaf from beans; drain beans. Add beans to the skillet, tossing gently to combine all the ingredients. Add parsley and chopped fennel leaves.
Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and remaining olive oil to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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