Spanish Butter Bean Stew (Printable Version)
Hearty Spanish-style butter bean stew with tomatoes, vegetables and smoked paprika, comforting, plant-based, and easy.
# What You Need:
→ Legumes
01 - 2 cans (14 oz each) butter beans (lima beans), drained and rinsed
→ Vegetables
02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
06 - 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
07 - 1 celery stalk, diced
08 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
09 - 3.5 oz fresh baby spinach (optional)
→ Liquids
10 - 2½ cups vegetable broth
→ Spices and Seasonings
11 - 1 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
12 - ½ tsp sweet paprika
13 - ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
14 - 1 dried bay leaf
15 - Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
→ Garnish
16 - Fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
17 - Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
# How To Make It:
01 - Warm olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for approximately 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent and softened.
02 - Add the minced garlic, diced red bell pepper, carrot, and celery to the pot. Continue cooking for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have begun to soften and release their natural sweetness.
03 - Sprinkle in the smoked paprika, sweet paprika, and red pepper flakes. Stir continuously for about 1 minute to toast the spices and draw out their full aromatic depth.
04 - Pour in the canned diced tomatoes with their juices. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the tomatoes to reduce slightly and meld with the spiced vegetable base.
05 - Add the vegetable broth and drop in the bay leaf. Raise the heat to bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce to low heat. Cover partially and let simmer for 20 minutes so the flavors develop and the broth thickens.
06 - Gently fold the drained butter beans into the stew, taking care not to crush them. Continue simmering uncovered for another 10 minutes, allowing the beans to absorb the surrounding flavors and the liquid to reduce to a rich consistency.
07 - If using spinach, stir it in during the final 2 minutes of cooking. Toss gently until the leaves are just wilted and bright green.
08 - Taste the stew and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Ladle into warm bowls, finish with a scattering of fresh parsley and a thin drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and serve immediately.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- It turns basic pantry staples into something that tastes like it simmered all day on a Spanish grandmothers stove.
- The creamy texture of butter beans paired with smoky paprika creates a comfort food experience that happens to be entirely plant based.
02 -
- Resist the urge to crank the heat to speed things up because a gentle simmer keeps the butter beans intact and the broth clear instead of cloudy.
- Blooming the paprika in oil for that one minute before adding liquid is the single step that transforms this from ordinary bean soup into something deeply Spanish.
03 -
- Rinse canned butter beans thoroughly under cold water until the foam disappears because that liquid they sit in can taste metallic and muddy the broth.
- Always drizzle the olive oil over each bowl right before serving rather than stirring it in, so you taste that peppery grassy hit with every spoonful.