Hearty Beet and Bean Stew

Inspired by pantry ingredients once again, here’s another lunch idea you should try! Quick, delicious and vibrant! If you have cooked beans in your pantry or freezer, this dish only takes 15 minutes to come together. This dish is a delicious way to get in all those necessary leafy greens and add some color into your diet. And like most stews, it tastes even better the next day. Meal prep for the win!
I’m using my favorite beans for this dish but any bean works. It works great with lentils too. I had frozen grated beets in my freezer so that’s what I used, but fresh works even better. For the leafy greens, I suggest using a mix of softer leafy greens like spinach and a tougher kind like kale, they balance each other out. If you’re not a fan of leeks, use onions, scallions work great too. Ideally, you don’t want to cook this for too long, otherwise the greens will loose their color. 10-15 minutes is ideal. Adding in half of the grated beets at the end also helps keep the colors vibrant.

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour 15 minutes

Serving:

3-4 portions

Labels:

Ingredients

1 cup(182g) dried navy beans
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup(90g) leek
1 green bell pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 medium-sized beets
6 cups dark leafy greens (I used 2 cups spinach, 4 cups kale)
2 medium-sized beets
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
Spices:

1 tsp veggie stock powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin

Instructions:

1. Soak the navy beans overnight. Cook the beans with salt and ½ tsp of cumin until tender, mine took an hour.

2. Meanwhile, let’s prepare our veggies. Wash and chop your greens, set aside. Wash and chop the leek and bell pepper finely, set aside. Grate the beets with the larger holes on the box grater, set aside. Finely chop the garlic cloves and set aside.

3. Heat up the oil in a pot and toss in the chopped leeks and bell pepper. Saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, around 30 seconds. Follow up with the spices (1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp black pepper, ½ tsp cumin) and saute for another 30 seconds. Once fragrant, add in the chopped greens and saute until wilted (1-2 minutes). Now add in half of the grated beets and saute for 1-2 minutes.

4. Add in the cooked beans along with 3-4 cups of the bean broth and the veggie stock powder. You can also use hot water. Let the stew simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, adjust the consistency. If you want a thicker stew, let it bubble uncovered for a few minutes. If you want a runnier stew, add a bit of hot water and stir until you reach the desired consistency.

5. Turn off the heat and add in the rest of the beets. Let the stew rest uncovered for 5 minutes before serving. This helps it come together. Now add in 2-3 tbsp of lemon juice, taste for salt, and voila!

Serve with bread, lemon wedges, a drizzle of olive oil, and garnish with herbs.