White Bean Vegetable Stew

Name: White Bean Vegetable Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 onion (diced); 1 rib celery (diced); 3 carrots (chopped); 30 ounces Great Northern beans (drained and rinsed); 12 cups vegetable broth; 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning; 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (diced); 3 cups kale (chopped); 2 cups green beans (chopped)

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White Bean Vegetable Stew is a hearty comforting one pot meal that is packed with veggies, like carrots, potatoes, kale, and green beans. This recipe is very easy to prep and will be a great dinner during the cold months.

Soup with white beans, potatoes carrots, kale, and green beans in a bowl.

If you love comforting one pot meals that are easy to make, you need to try this amazing White Bean Vegetable Stew! This recipe is on repeat in our house and perfect for cold weather.

I always try to add more vegetables to my meals, as they add more nutrients and make dish hearty. This stew is packed with white beans, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, kale, and green beans. Also, you can add pretty much any veggies you have in your pantry.

Why you will love this recipe

Easy to make. There is nothing better than simple meals that are made in one pot. Just chop the veggies, rinse the beans, and let it all cook to perfection.
Delicious. White beans, like these Great Northern Beans, provide a delicious creamy texture to the dish, as well as the flavor. In addition to it, Italian seasoning mix add a beautiful touch of Mediterranean aroma that compliments all the ingredients.
Packed with veggies. This recipe is not only delicious, but also is packed with vegetables (and all the nutrients!)

Ingredients and Substitution

Onion, celery. These are the best ingredients to create the classic flavorful base for soups and stews.
Carrots. If you are using fresh carrots, you don’t even need to peel them. The skin is thin enough, just thoroughly wash them to remove all the dirt.
Beans. For this recipe, I prefer to use Great Northern Beans for their meaty and creamy texture. You can also use cannellini or navy beans.
Broth. I usually use vegetable broth in this recipe, but chicken broth will work very well too.
Seasoning. Italian seasoning has a perfect blend of different herbs that works very well in this stew. If you don’t have it on hands, you can just use a mix of dried oregano and dried thyme.
Potatoes. Pretty much any potatoes will work here. I usually use Yukon gold or Russet variety.
Kale. While I prefer to use kale in this stew, you can use any leafy greens, like Swiss chard, spinach, or even collard greens.
Green beans. French green beans are my favorite as they are less stringy.
More veggies. Feel free to add more veggies to this stew, like zucchini, yellow squash, peas, parsnip, sweet potatoes, etc.

Separate ingredients to make white bean vegetable soup.

How to make it

Preheat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil.

Add diced onion and celery and cook for about 10 minutes until it’s translucent and starts to caramelize.

Process photos of searing onion and celery in a pot.

Then add chopped carrots and cook for a few more minutes.

Process photos of adding diced carrots to seared onion and celery.

Then add 30 oz drained and rinsed Great Northern beans, 12 cups vegetable broth, and ½ tbsp Italian seasoning. Increase the heat to high and bring everything to boil.

Process photos of adding white beans, vegetable broth, and seasoning to the soup.

Once it’s boiling, lower the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add diced potatoes and cook for 10 minutes.

Process photos of adding chopped potatoes to the soup.

Then add chopped kale and green beans and cook for another 10 minutes or until everything is properly cooked.

Season with the salt and this delicious white bean vegetable stew is ready to be served!

Processed photos of adding kale and green beans to the soup.

Tips for Best Results

Create the base. To make the base for the stew, take the time to properly sear diced onion with celery. They will create the best aroma and flavor for the dish.
Dutch oven. While you can use any large pot for this dish, I really prefer to use a 6qt Dutch oven. It perfectly sears the vegetables and evenly distributes the heat to cook the stew.
Make creamy beans. Canned beans are already cooked but its important to let them simmer for at least 20 minutes with the broth. This way they will absorb more flavor and get delicious creamy texture.

How to store

How to refrigerate. When the stew is completely cooled off, you can transfer it to an air-tight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
How to freeze. Transfer it to a freezer-friendly air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, just leave it in the fridge overnight.
How to reheat. You can simply reheat it in a pot or a sauce pan over medium heat.

Soup with white beans, potatoes carrots, kale, and green beans in a pot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use dry beans instead of canned ones?

Yes. If you want to use dried beans, you just need to soak them overnight and then cook according to the package instructions.

How to serve vegetable stew?

I like to serve it with some grated Parmesan cheese and homemade dinner rolls.

Can you overcook white beans?

Yes. If you cook them for too long, they might become too mushy and lose their shape. I recommend to cook them for 20 minutes before adding more vegetables.

Do I have to rinse canned beans?

While some people don’t rinse canned beans, I always recommend to drain and rinse them from the canned liquid. This way you will add less sodium to the dish and the broth will be less “cloudy”.