White bean, spinach and tomato stew
Two tins of cannellini beans make a substantial tomato stew with spinach. Mash a few beans in the pan to thicken the sauce without cream or a blender.
An original Recipe From Fridge editorial recipe idea. Timings are estimates; check doneness as described, not by the clock alone.
Ingredients
- 2 × 400g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (about 480g drained total)
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 100g fresh spinach, washed
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 100ml water
- Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Drain the beans and prepare the greens
Drain and rinse the tinned beans in a sieve. These are ready-cooked beans, not dried beans. Wash the spinach, discard any damaged leaves and roughly chop large leaves. Prepare the onion and garlic before heating the pan.
- Soften the onion
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for 7–8 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and oregano for 1 minute without letting the garlic brown.
- Build the tomato sauce
Add the tomatoes and 100ml water. Bring to a gentle bubble and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato pieces soften. Lower the heat if the sauce spits vigorously.
- Heat and partly mash the beans
Stir in the beans and simmer for about 8 minutes, or longer if their packet directs, until steaming hot throughout. Crush two spoonfuls of beans against the side of the pan and stir them back in. The sauce should coat the beans; loosen with a splash of water if too thick.
- Wilt the spinach and serve
Add the spinach in two handfuls, stirring each into the hot stew. Cook for 2–3 minutes until fully wilted and hot. Taste, add pepper and divide between two bowls. Eat as a bowl meal; bread is an optional accompaniment if you have it.
Make it work with what you have
- Tinned butter beans can replace cannellini beans at the same drained weight; their larger size gives a chunkier result. Do not substitute dried beans into this quick method: they need separate soaking and cooking according to their packet.
- For frozen spinach, use 100g and add it with the beans, following its packet cooking instructions. Simmer off any excess water before serving; do not treat frozen spinach as a ready-to-eat garnish.