Double White Bean Stew Recipe
With spring inching around the corner, yet temperatures still being chilly enough that you likely want something warm and comforting in your belly, this lemony stew is a great hearty lunch or casual dinner option. Not only is it naturally vegan and gluten-free, it’s easy to make and ready in just 30 minutes making it perfect for busy weeknights. The soup has a classic mirepoix of onions, carrots, and celery combined with both cannellinni and garbanzo beans to give it body and heft.
A variety of greens and herbs including kale, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and parsley give it great depth of flavor. However the real star of this lemon stew is the double whollop of lemon flavor from both lemon zest and lemon juice. Tip: I always advocate adding something acidic to finish a soup whether it’s lemon juice in Chicken Noodle Soup, lime juice in Chicken Tortilla Soup, or even apple cider vinegar because the acidity creates another subtle layer of flavor that is so enticing.
Ingredients in Double White Bean Stew
To make this easy lemon white bean stew, you’ll need the following basic and easy to find fridge and pantry ingredients including:
Olive oil Onion Carrots Celery Garlic Cannellini beans Garbanzo beans Broth (vegetable or chicken) Thyme Rosemary Marjoram Salt Pepper Kale Lemon zest Lemon juice Parmesan cheese, optional for serving Parsley, optional for serving
How to Make Lemony White Bean Stew
This accidentally vegetarian stew recipe is a cinch to make! Follow these very straightforward steps: Step 1: In a large Dutch oven, saute the onion in olive oil before adding the carrots, celery, and finally the garlic.
Step 2: Separately, in a high-speed blender blend the cannellini beans and half the garbanzos with the broth.
Step 3: Add this puree, the remaining garbanzo beans, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, salt, and pepper to the Dutch oven and simmer. Step 4: Add the kale and allow it to wilt.
Step 5: Off the heat, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, taste the soup and make any necessary flavor adjustments before serving.
What Are the Best Beans for Stew?
For my version of double white bean lemon stew, I use both cannellini beans and garbanzo beans. However, if you want to use all of one type of bean and none of the other, that’s fine. You can also try another white bean such as Great Northern beans. Definitely drain and rinse the beans before adding them. Additionally, I prefer using low or no-salt added beans so I can better control the overall saltiness of the dish.
Can Fresh Beans Be Used?
I always use canned beans, but if you’re lucky enough to have a surplus of freshly made beans on hand, feel free to use home-cooked white beans.
What is the Difference Between Lemon Soup and Stew?
In basic terms, soups have more broth and stews are thicker with less broth. In my book, my double white bean stew is a stew rather than a soup because it’s pretty thick. The thickness comes from blending all of the cannellini beans and half the garbanzo beans. If you don’t blend the beans, the finished product will be thinner and brothier, and you’ll have more of a soup on your hands. Additionally, there are only 4 cups of broth used, which renders it thicker like a stew. For those who prefer it more soup-like, add an additional one or two cups of broth.
Can This Stew Be Made in a Slow Cooker?
Yes, you can make double white bean lemon stew in a slow cooker. I love quick and easy recipes, especially those ready in 30 minutes and don’t often see the point of prolonging the recipe and making it in a slow cooker. Although if you’re a slow cooker recipe fan, it’s very easy to make this soup in your slow cooker by following these steps:
Substitution Ideas for Lemony Bean Stew
The great thing about soups and stews is that they tend to be highly flexible in terms of what ingredients you can include or omit. For double white bean lemon stew, feel free to change the following:
As I mentioned, use all garbanzo, all cannellini beans, or use another type of white beans such as Great Northern. If you don’t have fresh rosemary and thyme, use dried. For anyone who doesn’t keep fresh marjoram on hand, omit it. Dried parsley is fine in place of fresh although since it’s used as a garnish, if all you have is dried I suggest simply omitting it in that case. Use 1 to 2 cups more broth to make it a brothier soup rather than stew. Vegetable or chicken broth may be used. If you’re keeping this plant-based, obviously use vegetable broth. Shredded cooked rotisserie chicken is a great way to bump up the protein and satiety factors if you want to add it. Previously cooked small shaped pasta such as elbows, wheels, ziti, or rotini add a comfort food touch. Note that they will tend to absorb the existing broth so add more broth if you’re adding pasta. Thawed and well drained frozen spinach may be used instead of kale.
What to Serve with White Bean Stew
As long as you’re not keeping the lemon and double white bean stew vegan, freshly grated Parmesan cheese is lovely when serving the soup. The carryover heat from the soup will lightly melt the cheese and it’s so tasty! For those not concerned about gluten, a crusty slice of French bread or other dinner roll is perfect for dunking into the soup.
How to Store This Stew
Stews keep very well and this one is no exception. It will keep airtight for up to 5 days in the fridge and for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Tips for the Best Double White Bean Lemon Stew
Double white bean lemon stew is so fast and easy to make but a couple final tips are:
If you don’t want this to read like a creamy-textured soup or stew, skip blending the beans. And instead simply add both cans of beans whole. I like to use lower, low, or no-salt added versions of both broth and beans so that I can better control the final salt level of the soup. If you taste the soup at the end and it tastes at all flat or like it’s missing something, it likely needs more salt. Don’t be afraid to add it. As a vegan and gluten-free soup, it’s especially important to properly salt it so it’s not boring. After all, that’s why soups in restaurants taste so good is because they’re not afraid to salt them! Always zest first, then juice, when it comes to lemons. When you’re zesting the lemon, be careful to take off just the yellow part. The white part of the peel underneath the yellow is more bitter and not appetizing so make sure not to zest down into the white layer. If you don’t have a fancy zesting tool, the fine blade of a box grater will work just fine.
Favorite Easy Soup Recipes:
Chicken, White Bean and Kale Soup — This white bean and kale soup soup is easy, hearty, and healthy. It’s packed with flavor, texture, and is a full meal in itself! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
30-Minute Chicken and Vegetable Mediterranean Soup — An EASY soup that’s both HEALTHY and HEARTY!! Loaded with tender chicken, vegetables, garbanzo beans, and more! Ready so fast and it’s perfect for busy chilly winter weeknights!!
Chicken Poblano Soup — All the familiar flavors of chicken tortilla soup but with the addition of roasted poblanos and tomatillos to give extra heartiness and depth of flavor! An EASY soup, ready in 30 minutes, and a guaranteed family favorite to put on rotation especially for busy weeknights!
Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup — Classic, comforting, and tastes just like grandma made but way easier and faster!! This soup is AMAZING and it’ll be your new favorite recipe!!
Easy 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup — Chicken, tomatoes, corn, black beans, avocado, cheese, and addictively crunchy tortilla strips! Fast, easy weeknight meal, and better than from a restaurant!!
Chicken Pot Pie Soup — All the comfort food feels of pot pie, but in soup form! Rich, hearty, creamy and ready in just 30 minutes! Use canned biscuit dough to save time on busy weeknights when you’re craving a hot homemade meal!
Easy 30-Minute Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup — Why have regular chicken noodle soup when you can have CREAMY instead? Pure comfort food at its finest! Ready in 30 minutes, an instant family favorite, and PERFECT for chilly weather!!
Creamy Sweet Potato Chicken Soup – An EASY comfort food chicken soup recipe with sweet potatoes and more to keep you full and satisfied for hours!! Ready in 30 minutes with a flexible ingredients list based on what you have on hand!!
Easy 30-Minute Vegetable and Mushroom Soup — Healthy, light yet satisfying, and full of rich savory flavor!! An Asian-inspired twist on vegetable soup that you’ll LOVE!!
