Cozy Winter Night Butterbean Stew With Mushrooms and Kale

When winter rolls around, I like to minimize my dinner prep. I seek to develop easy and hearty recipes that won’t require me to stand over the stove for more than 30 minutes. This butterbean stew with mushrooms and kale is one of those delicacies.

I could have used canned ingredients but I believe fresh ingredients and working on something from scratch make a meal even better. Don’t you agree?

I had a bag of mushrooms in the back of my fridge and a few kale plants being ignored in the balcony garden. So yesterday morning before going to work, I soaked one and a half cups of butterbeans in hot water to minimize cooking time. When I got home, I rinsed and let the beans boil for about 15 minutes. After that, everything came onto my plate within the next 15 minutes.

And let me tell you, this stew is hearty, filling, and will warm the cockles of your heart to no end. If you wish to give this stew recipe a try, here’s everything you need to know.

Ingredients

• 1 and a half cups soaked butterbeans
• 200g mushrooms of choice (I used white button)
• 1 cup chopped kale
• 2 red onions chopped
• 2 hot green peppers chopped
• 8 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• 1 rosemary sprig (fresh or ½ tsp dried)
• Salt as needed
• Handful of chopped coriander
• Olive oil or any vegetable oil of choice

Instructions

• Cook the Beans: Soak butterbeans for 5-6 hours and boil for 15 minutes
• Saute Aromatics: Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy bottom pan on medium heat. Add roughly chopped onions and minced garlic to the pan and sauté till they turn translucent. Then, add turmeric, paprika and herbs, and mix well
• Cook the Vegetables: Add the chopped tomatoes (you can use canned ones and tomato paste as well), stirring infrequently on low heat. Add two spoons of butterbean broth and let the tomatoes cook. Once the tomatoes are nicely cooked and turned into a mush, add in the chopped mushrooms and let them cook in the tomato paste for 7-10 minutes
• Let Everything Come Together: After the mushrooms are cooked, take half a cup of the cooked butterbeans, blend it into a paste, and pour over the mushrooms. Now, add in your butterbeans and kale and let everything cook for 5 more minutes
• Final Touches: Once the stew has thickened, season it with salt and pepper and chopped coriander

Place it on the plate and add a couple of butter cubes with more coriander as garnish. You can serve this stew with toasted bread, butter naan, flat Indian bread, or just much on it alone.