White Bean Stew

Soak the beans for the stew

1. Rinse your Cannellini beans and add them to a large bowl. Fill the bowl with 6 c of water and leave it for at least 8 hours to expand.

Cook the beans

1. Drain the expanded beans. Fill a large pot with 6 cups of water, add beans and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook on a medium low heat for 60-90 minutes until beans are tender. 15 minutes before the beans are ready, stir in ½ teaspoon of salt. Drain the beans.

Sauté the onion and garlic

1. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick pan and over a medium heat. Add onion and sauté stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes until the onion is translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.

Add bell pepper and beans

1. Add bell pepper, beans, tomato juice, Italian seasoning, cayenne pepper, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper. Bring the stew to a boil and give everything a nice stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat, sprinkle white bean stew with a parsley and serve with some crusty bread or rice.