I am so into one-pot meals! They’re generally faster, easier, and there’s less washing up, so why not? Especially when they’re as delicious and nutritious as this fabulous bean and kale stew recipe that I snaffled up from a grocery store magazine and tweaked a bit. The kids liked it (especially the crunchy bread!), hubby came back for seconds, and so it was added to our mealtime repertoire.
Table of Contents
The Goodness of Kale
As you probably know, It’s not super easy to get kids to eat kale, but here in this rich tomato and herb stew, it tastes great! And kale is a superfood packed with all kinds of goodness:
- Large doses of vitamins and minerals – notably, 1 cup of chopped kale serves up 134% of the daily recommended dose of Vitamin C, plus 206% of Vitamin A.
- Antioxidants to boost the immune system, such as Lutein (a carotenoid excellent for eye health) and Quercetin, with its anti-viral properties.
- Good Omega 3 fat which helps to combat inflammation in the body
- Insoluble fiber essential for good digestion and preventing constipation
Just make sure you wash your kale really well before using it in meals. Better still, buy organic. But if your budget doesn’t go that far, please do the wash!
Reduce Pesticide Exposure by Washing Veggies
Kale is currently in the top three on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list. That’s a list of the top twelve fruits and vegetables that, when conventionally grown, carry the highest amount of pesticides and pesticide residues. If you want to reduce your toxic intake, take a look at these easy ways to wash your kale and other fruits and vegetables too.
Beans Mean Fiber
You may like to know that ideally, we should be consuming 20 to 30 grams of fiber per day, to help regulate our blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of problems such as constipation, diabetes and heart disease. Americans are typically only getting about 15 grams. Beans and legumes are an excellent way of getting fiber – so this stew is more than just tasty!
Enjoy this bean and kale stew, and let me know how it goes down in your household 😊
Bean & Kale Stew with Pangrattato (crunchy bread)
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp olive oil (2 for the stew, 3 for the panagrattato)
- 2 brown onions – finely chopped
- 3 celery sticks – diced
- 3 carrots – diced
- 6 cloves garlic (4 for the stew, 2 for the panagrattato)
- 2 tbsp rosemary leaves – finely chopped
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2 tbsp quinoa (I use white quinoa, but red would work too)
- 1 15 oz can cannellini beans – drained and rinsed
- 1 15 oz can red kidney beans – drained and rinsed
- 2 15 oz cans chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 bunch kale leaves – roughly torn, no stalks
- 2 cups water or vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp parsley – chopped
- 6 oz day-old sourdough bread – roughly torn
- salt to taste
- finely grated parmesan or pecorino, to serve
Instructions
Stew
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a large, wide cooking pot.
- Add onion, celery, carrot, 4 crushed garlic cloves, and chopped rosemary. Cook for 7 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in beans, tomatoes, quinoa and water (or vegetable stock). Bring to a boil, season (if you wish) and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes on medium to low heat.
- Stir in torn kale in batches and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes or until wilted. Stir regularly.
Panagrattato
- While the stew is simmering, heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan.
- Add 2 crushed garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs and parsley. Cook for about a minute to bring out the flavors.
- Add torn bread. Toss lightly and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden and crunchy.
- Scatter panagrattato and parmesan over stew to serve.
