Summer Vegetable and White Bean Stew

Make the most of your garden’s beautiful vegetables with this summer vegetable and white bean stew. Made with kale, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and white beans in a lemony broth, this is a great late summer dish for when those vegetables are abundant in backyard gardens and markets. 

In my house this summer, there has been a playful battle brewing. One one side, there is my mom and I, the hot blooded types who need a steady supply of cool, raw foods and drinks, like salads, smoothies, and mojitos (kidding) to keep us sane. And on the other side, there is my dad, who loves to be warm and says that he could eat soups, stews, and curries all year long. 

As you can imagine, running a food blog has meant that I have evolved into the primary cook in our household. As a compromise, I’ve been making soups and stews occasionally, which are always bursting with summer vegetables. The man has a point: There are only so many salads one can eat! And as we shift towards the end of the summer, now is the time to begin shifting our thoughts back towards warmer meals. 

This Mediterranean zucchini, tomato, and white bean stew is one of my most recent creations. It’s hearty, nourishing, and has that stick-to-your-ribs quality while remaining quite light and seasonally appropriate. I enjoy topping it with some lemon tahini sauce, which adds richness and depth to an otherwise low-fat dish. The cannellini beans have an almost buttery quality: they almost melt into the stew, helping to thicken it and make it ultra satisfying. 

ingredients you’ll need

• Extra virgin olive oil, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, white beans, kale, vegetable broth, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, chili flakes, and lemon juice. 

step by step instructions 

1. Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for five minutes before adding bell pepper, zucchini, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and chili flakes. Cook for five more minutes, then add the white beans, tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat just until the tomatoes are cooked. 
2. A couple minutes before serving, add the kale and cook just until bright green. Right before serving, stir in the lemon juice and serve with lemon tahini sauce or cashew hemp parmesan cheese. 

serving and menu ideas 

• I served this summer vegetable and white bean stew with tofu spinach borek, a Turkish-style stuffed dough pocket. I’ll be sharing the recipe on Wednesday! But this stew would be equally good on a bed of rice, quinoa, orzo, farro, or buckwheat. You could also serve some crusty sourdough bread with olive oil and balsamic for dipping on the side. 

I hope that you love this stew! If you make it, leave a comment and rating below to let me know how you enjoyed it. And if you post a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen!

Enjoy! 

Summer Vegetable and White Bean Stew

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• Author: Allison
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Make the most of your garden’s beautiful vegetables with this summer vegetable and white bean stew. Made with kale, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and white beans in a lemony broth, this is a great late summer dish for when those vegetables are abundant in backyard gardens and markets. 

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Ingredients

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• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 medium zucchini, diced
• ½ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp chili flakes
• 3 cups cooked white beans- I like cannellini (or 2 14-oz cans, drained and rinsed)
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 bunch of kale, tough stems removed and chopped
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Lemon Tahini Sauce (for serving)

• ½ cup tahini
• ⅓ cup water, plus more as needed to thin
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp pure maple syrup
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Add the red pepper, zucchini, salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and chili flakes and sauté for five more minutes.
2. Add the white beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook just until the tomatoes are cooked. I recommend keeping the simmering time short so as not to over-cook the zucchini.
3. A couple of minutes before serving, add the kale and cook just until bright green. Right before serving, stir in the lemon juice.
4. To make the lemon tahini sauce, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
5. Optional: Stir a couple of spoonfuls of lemon tahini sauce into the stew right before serving to make it creamy. Or simply spoon some sauce over individual servings. (Or, do both!)

Notes

No white beans on hand? Use cooked chickpeas or lentils instead!

This stew is pretty forgiving, so feel free to use whichever combination of vegetables you have on hand.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Lunch, Supper
• Cuisine: Mediterranean