In my patio garden, I've killed a few things so far. I forgot to move the basil inside and the first frost of the season wiped it out in one night. The next to go was the sage (killed and started again, only to be killed again), and cilantro (my dog ate the entire pot- so it died on a technicality.) However, the parsley, it has been growing wild. I have so much parsley.
This stew is hearty- definitely a meal in a bowl. I like using quinoa in stews because it soaks up a good amount of liquid which helps with the chunky stew texture. I also like using white beans instead of kidney beans or chickpeas because of the soft texture and the unimposing flavor. The best part: let this stew sit over night and reheat with more broth the next day- the flavor with the pesto is so good!
PrintQuinoa White Bean Stew
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
- Stew
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium red onion, diced
- ½ cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 to 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups canned tomatoes, drained
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup canned cannellini beans
- Parsley Pesto
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup parsley
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts, plus more to garnish
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions; saute until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the quinoa, carrots, 1 cup broth, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until quinoa is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the cannellini beans and cook for another 5 minutes. If stew has thickened too much, add more vegetable broth to reach desired consistency.
- While the stew cooks, pulse the garlic in a food processor. Add the parsley, olive oil, lemon juice and pine nuts. Pulse until well combined, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water to thin it, if needed.
- Ladle the stew into two bowls and swirl in the pesto. Top with extra pine nuts and serve with crusty bread. (The stew can be made ahead. Warm it over low heat with extra broth, if needed.)
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
Your dog ate the cilantro! Oh my! Man, I wish that parsley was-a-growin' wild at my place...well, once summer hits... 😉 Lovely soup!
Warm Vanilla Sugar says
This soup/stew looks so freaking good!!
Eileen says
Having too much parsley sounds like the best problem to have! 🙂 This pesto sounds so good with your hearty stew.
Joanne (eats well with others) says
I love parsley! Just used it in a parsley sauce to brighten up the flavor of a roasted root veggie stew...so I"m pretty sure I'd love it on this chili as well!!
Kait says
This looks beyond delicious! Adding this, and the raspberry lemon cake, to my list!
xo
Lisa says
This looks really good! And healthy. I am definetely going to cook it, thanks for a great site!
Ashley says
Hello, I just had a quick question regarding the vegetable broth. Do you have a go to recipe for it? Or do you just buy one at the store? If so what brand do you prefer?
Thanks
erin says
I usually use store bought pacific foods or make my own (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/basic-vegetable-stock-recipe.html)
Peggy says
delicious! I made this, using chicken broth(homemade) and cooked the beans instead of canned. Due to having a big family, I tripled the recipe and used more quinoa. The parsley pesto is fantastic and a Must Have for this, as without it the stew is a little bland, but with it, the stew is perfect! The toasted pine nuts thrown in are a nice textural interest as well. I will definitely make this again, cheers!
Natalia says
We had this for dinner tonight and it was really lovely. I used Israeli couscous instead of quinoa. The only comment I have is that it could use some kind of herb to give it a little more depth. Otherwise, we devoured it. Went nicely with a loaf of cheddar buttermilk bread.
★★★★
erin says
Thanks for the feedback! I usually stir in the pesto pretty well, so I never notice 🙂 Best!
bri says
delicious! I'd add a little more vegetable broth if you like it "soupier". Very simple recipe with tons of flavor
★★★★★
Cathi says
I thought it was delicious, but a touch too acidic with both the lemon juice and tomato, so I added about a tablespoon of maple syrup, which neutralized it just right!
Dani says
I was missing carrots, but I had beets. In they went - beautiful color, and oh so delicious.
Annette says
Anne's tomatoes? Diced? Crushed? Whole? Sauced? Please be specific!! Thanks!
Erin Alderson says
Yikes- not sure where that went. Added- I used stewed but crushed would work well too.