Vegan Italian White Bean and Pasta Stew
User Reviews
5
Vegan Italian White Bean and Pasta Stew
Description
The recipe starts by sautéing diced shallots and garlic with rosemary, bay leaf, and dried chili pepper to build an aromatic foundation. Half of the cannellini beans are added to crushed whole peeled tomatoes, simmering until slightly thickened and jammy. Meanwhile, the other half of the beans are pureed with plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, miso paste (if used), lemon zest, juice, salt, and pepper to create a creamy bean mixture.
This bean puree is stirred into the tomato and bean base along with short pasta, cooking until the pasta is tender. The result is a stew that balances the acidity of tomatoes with creaminess from the bean puree. The fresh parsley garnish adds a bright note at serving.
This stew works well as a warm vegan meal with protein from beans and added nutrition from nutritional yeast. The interplay of chunky whole beans and smooth puree makes the texture varied and satisfying. Lemon juice lifts the overall flavor, making it lively despite the rich, hearty components.
Substitutions and adaptations are considered; onions can replace shallots, miso paste is optional, and leftover canned tomatoes may be used for future dishes. Crushing tomatoes by hand preserves some texture and juice.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 3 shallot diced, medium
- 3 garlic finely chopped, cloves
- 1 rosemary optional but recommended, fresh sprig
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 dried red chili pepper (can substitute with ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes)
- 1 cannellini beans 15-ounce / 440g can, drained, rinsed and divided into 2 portions
- 1/4 cup plant-based milk 60 mL, creamy, e.g., oat milk or lite coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 lemon zested, then juiced, medium
- 1 tablespoon White miso paste optional, or yellow miso paste
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- black pepper freshly cracked, to taste
- Half of a (28-ounce/795g) can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 cups water 720 mL
- 6 ounces short pasta 168g, e.g. orecchiette, ditalini, macaroni
- parsley chopped (optional; for serving, flat-leaf Italian
Instructions
- Crush the whole peeled tomatoes by hand, reserving the juices. Use half of the 28-ounce/795g can.
- Bring a medium saucepan to medium heat and add the 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shallots and season with a pinch of salt, cook, stirring often to prevent them from browning, until soft and translucent, about 4-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes until soft and golden, again stirring often.
- Add the rosemary sprig, bay leaf, and dried chili pepper (or red pepper flakes). Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Once the aromatics have cooked down, add the crushed tomatoes and half of the cannellini beans. Season to taste with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have thickened slightly and are starting to turn jammy, 6-8 minutes
- While the tomatoes are cooking, make the white bean puree. Add the remaining half of the cannellini beans to a food processor. Add the plant-based milk, nutritional yeast, lemon zest, lemon juice, miso paste (if using), 1/4 tsp kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Blend until the mixture is completely pureed and smooth. Taste for seasonings, adding more salt or lemon juice as needed.
- Once the tomatoes have cooked down, add the 3 cups (720 mL) water and the white bean puree to the saucepan. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a rapid simmer. Add the pasta and cook, stirring every few minutes to prevent it from sticking, until the pasta is al dente and the sauce has thickened, 12 to 16 minutes, depending on your pasta variety. The finished dish should be creamy and soup-like. Remove the chili pepper, rosemary and bay leaf and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Divide between 2 or 3 bowls and drizzle with more extra virgin olive oil and black pepper on top. Garnish with chopped parsley, if using.
Notes
- If shallots are unavailable, substitute one medium yellow onion diced.
- Use half the canned beans whole and puree the other half with plant milk and seasonings for creaminess.
- Miso paste adds umami but can be omitted or replaced with soy sauce or tamari plus extra salt.
- Reserve unused canned whole tomatoes for other recipes or freeze for future use.
- If whole peeled tomatoes aren't available, diced or stewed tomatoes can be used instead.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 3Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 474 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 474kcal | 24% |
| Carbohydrates | 79g | 26% |
| Protein | 20g | 40% |
| Fat | 11g | 17% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1g | 6% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Sodium | 588mg | 25% |
| Potassium | 585mg | 12% |
| Fiber | 13g | 52% |
| Sugar | 8g | 16% |
| Vitamin A | 261IU | 5% |
| Vitamin C | 15mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 186mg | 19% |
| Iron | 6mg | 33% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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