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Cosy, simple, and endlessly flexible, this tomato bean stew with cavolo nero is the winter staple you turn to when you want a satisfying, one-pot meal that’s nutritious, flavourful, and just so good. It’s full of rich tomatoes, creamy cannellini beans, ribbons of cavolo nero, lots of delicious vegetables and a grating of savoury Parmesan on top.
Whether you’re after a quick midweek dinner or a nourishing weekend pot simmering gently on the hob, a good bean stew delivers flavour, texture and nutrition in equal measure.
This post is more than just another bean stew recipe – it’s a guide to mastering the method so you can adapt the ingredients to what you like. We’ll also cover how to adapt the recipe for a slow cooker or Instant Pot, how to freeze and reheat it without losing texture, and even how to fix a stew that’s gone too thin or salty.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- It’s a one-pot dish that comes together in 30 minutes.
- It keeps well in the fridge or freezer, making it a good preppable meal.
- A parmesan rind makes it all the more umami and savoury without extra effort, for a rich bean stew.
- You end up with the perfect texture from mashing a few beans to give you a thicker, stew-like consistency rather than a soupy texture.
Ingredients:
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Cavolo nero – sometimes known as lacinato or dinosaur kale in other countries.
Cannellini beans – I find these are the best beans to use as they are soft and tender, so they scoop up nicely in this bean stew.
Parmesan rind – the parmesan rind is key here! If you don’t have one spare or in the freezer, just cut the rind off the one you have open in the fridge. You can still grate the rest but the rind is just used here!
Substitutions and Variations:
Vegetables: this bean stew is a great way to use up any old vegetables in your fridge. You could add diced broccoli, green beans, potatoes, celery, and cherry tomatoes. Anything you have will likely work here.
Cavolo nero: swap for kale if you have that to hand, or it’s easier to find.
Moroccan flavours in your bean stew: add 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp coriander, ¼ tsp cinnamon and a pinch of chilli. Finish with lemon juice or preserved lemon and a handful of chopped coriander.
Meaty / non-vegetarian version: brown some chopped pancetta, bacon or sausage at the start (with the veg) for some depth. Use chicken stock instead of vegetable stock.
Vegan bean stew & other legumes: skip parmesan rind and just sprinkle in some nutritional yeast at the end (or use vegan parm). Add extra herbs like thyme or sage.
Here’s how to make this easy tomato bean stew:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, courgette, carrots and leek. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
TWO: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant. Add the cannellini beans, and chopped tomatoes
THREE: Add vegetable stock.
FOUR: Add the parmesan rind. Stir well to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew has thickened and the flavours have come together.
FIVE: In the final 5 minutes of cooking, stir through the chopped cavolo nero and let it wilt into the stew. Serve the bean stew hot, topped with grated parmesan and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
Cooking Tips:
Dried vs canned bean conversions & cooking
Conversion table
| Dry beans (raw) | After soaking & cooking | Equivalent to 1 × 400g canned (drained) |
|---|---|---|
| ~100g dried | ~240g cooked | ~1 tin (drained) |
| ~200g dried | ~480g cooked | ~2 tins |
Thus, 100g dry (soaked + cooked) is a good substitute for 1 standard 400g tin (drained).
How to cook dried beans
Soak method (recommended):
- Rinse beans, place in a bowl, and cover with plenty of cold water. Soak them for 8-12 hours (overnight).
- Drain the water and rinse.
- Transfer to a pot, cover with fresh water, bring to a simmer and cook 1-1.5 hours until just tender (but not falling apart).
- Drain and add into the bean stew during the simmering stage (don’t cook raw dried beans for just 15 mins in the stew as they won’t soften enough).
Make bean stew in a slow cooker
- On the stovetop, sweat onion, carrot, courgette, and leek (Step 1) with a little oil.
- Transfer to your slow cooker insert.
- Add cooked/canned beans, chopped tomatoes, stock, and parmesan rind.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- In the final 20–30 mins, stir in cavolo nero so it wilts.
- Remove rind, check seasoning, serve with parsley & parmesan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use about 100g dried cannellini to make ~240g cooked (equivalent to one drained 400g tin). Always cook dried beans separately (soak + simmer or pressure cook) until just tender, then add to the stew during the simmer stage. You can find the full guide above.
Yes, bean stew freezes well. Cool completely, portion, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and gently reheat with a splash of stock.
Mash a portion of the cooked beans into the stew to add some body to the bean stew. You can also simmer uncovered to reduce it a bit!
Other recipes you might enjoy:
If you like simple veggie meals like this tomato bean stew, you will also like my butternut squash pasta, creamy cheesy courgette gratin or my French onion soup pasta bake.
Easy Pasta Recipes
Trofie Pasta with Bursting Tomatoes, Chickpea & Mozzarella
Helpful Tips
What is Cucina Povera?
Christmas Recipes
Creamy Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
If you tried this bean stew or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Easy Tomato Bean Stew with Cavolo Nero
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 courgette, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 leek, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 × 400g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 × 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 400 ml vegetable stock
- 1 parmesan rind
- Small bunch of cavolo nero, leaves stripped and chopped
- Grated parmesan, to serve
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
- Olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, courgette, carrots and leek. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Add the cannellini beans, chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and parmesan rind. Stir well to combine.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew has thickened and the flavours have come together.
- In the final 5 minutes of cooking, stir through the chopped cavolo nero and let it wilt into the stew.
- Remove the parmesan rind and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve hot, topped with grated parmesan and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
- The video below will help with this recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
