This cannellini bean stew is a flavoursome and complete meal: cannellini beans, grains, greens and vegetables. It’s the type of hearty, creamy, bean-based dish I crave once autumn sets in. Reproduced, with permission, from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen (2015) by Amy Chaplin.
As the leaves turn and the crisp autumn air sets in, there’s nothing quite like a warm, hearty stew to bring comfort and nourishment. Amy Chaplin’s Roasted Autumn Vegetable Cannellini Bean Stew with Spelt Berries and Kale is a symphony of flavours and textures, combining beans, grains, greens, and an array of seasonal vegetables.
This dish not only satisfies the craving for a creamy, bean-based meal but also showcases the rich bounty of autumn produce.
Packed with nutritious ingredients, this stew is a complete meal in itself. From the earthy cannellini beans to the nutty spelt berries, each component plays a crucial role in delivering a wholesome, satisfying experience.
The roasted kabocha squash and Japanese turnips add a sweet, caramelized depth, while Jerusalem artichokes and carrots contribute a subtle earthiness.
Enhanced by aromatic herbs like thyme, rosemary, and sage and finished with a touch of Shetland sea salt and black pepper, this stew is a celebration of autumn’s finest flavours.
Ingredients for this cannellini bean stew recipe
- 230 grams dried cannellini beans, sorted
- 45 grams spelt berries
- 1.4 litres of filtered water plus more, for soaking
- 5 bay leaves
- 5 cm piece kombu
- 10 whole sage leaves
- 420 grams kabocha or red kuri squash, cut into 2.5 cm triangles
- 5 medium Japanese (Hakurei) turnips, quartered (or halved if small)
- 2 carrots, roll cut into 1.2 cm pieces
- 225 grams Jerusalem artichokes, cut into 1.2 cm slices
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped (stems reserved)
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (stems reserved)
- 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 leek , cut into 6 mm slices
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp tamari soy sauce
- 140 grams lacinato kale leaves (cavolo nero) thinly sliced
↓ Jump to the full, printable recipe. ↓
Instructions
- Combine beans and spelt berries in a medium pan. To wash, fill the pan with water, swish the beans and grains around with your hands, let them settle, and pour off the water. Repeat and drain.
- Cover with at least 960 ml (32 fl oz/4 cups) filtered water and soak 12 to 24 hours.
- Drain and rinse, then return to the pan and add the filtered water, bay leaves, kombu, sage, and reserved herb stems.
- Bring to the boil over high heat; skim off any foam that rises to the top with a small sieve or slotted spoon. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours or until beans are soft and creamy and spelt berries are plump.
- Remove and compost kombu, bay leaves and herbs. Drain, reserving cooking liquid and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and add squash, turnips, carrots, and Jerusalem artichokes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoons of salt and a pinch of black pepper. Toss well, spread out in a single layer, and roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, stir gently, and return to oven for another 15 to 20 minutes or until browning and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium to large pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes or until golden.
- Stir in garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
- Add thyme, rosemary, sage, celery, leek and remaining ½ teaspoon salt; cook for 2 more minutes.
- Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes or until the celery is tender.
- Add cooked beans and spelt berries, 600 ml (20 fl oz/2½ cups) reserved cooking liquid and roasted vegetables. Bring up to a simmer and cook uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes to allow flavours to meld.
- Add more bean cooking liquid to achieve the desired consistency. Stir in vinegar, tamari, and kale; cook for 2 more minutes or until kale is tender. Season to taste and serve warm.
Amy Chaplin: Private Chef & Author
Amy Chaplin has worked as a vegetarian chef for over 20 years, so she knows her stuff. She’s all about wholesome foods and the art of eating well. She’s the former executive chef of New York’s vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen, a recipe developer, a teacher, and a private chef for celebrities such as Natalie Portman and Liv Tyler.
Her book contains over 150 gorgeous vegetarian and vegan whole-food recipes, as well as everything you need to know to stock your pantry and make the most of your whole-food ingredients.
Amy’s tips for making this recipe
- Roasting the vegetables before simmering them in the stew adds richness, texture and a deeply sweet flavour.
- Soaking and cooking the beans and spelt berries together creates a full-bodied base for the stew, and adding the rosemary and thyme stems infuses them with even more flavour.
- As with all the recipes, I leave the skin on all the vegetables for this stew. Peel the squash if the skin is rough or particularly hard.
- To cook beans and spelt berries in a pressure cooker, reduce water to 1.1 litres (2 pints/4½ cups) and bring to the boil over high heat; skim off any foam that rises to the top. Lock lid in place and bring up to high pressure, then reduce heat to low and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to release naturally. Remove lid and proceed with the recipe.
At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen
This chunky hardcover book is divided into sections covering pantry essentials, recipes (breakfast, soups, salads, snacks, nibbles & drinks, whole meals & desserts), and some extra musings on cleansing, organics, and the author’s fondness for tea.
Everything—absolutely every single recipe—looks incredibly mouthwatering and good for you. However, they often look time-consuming (cooking times are not included) and involve quite a few uncommon ingredients (at least uncommon in my rural markets), so I don’t know how practical many of them would be for busy families and midweek dinners. However, for special occasions and entertaining with style, this is your book.
One particular recipe caught my eye: roasted Autumn vegetable cannellini bean stew with spelt berries and kale. I may have to substitute a few of the ingredients for things I can obtain locally, but I like the sound of this recipe.
The book publishers, Quarto Books, have kindly permitted me to reproduce the recipe for my readers.
Book: At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen
Author: Amy Chapin
ISBN: 978-1-910254-14-1
Publication Date: 18 June 2015
Cover: hardback
RRP: £25.00 (UK)
Roasted Autumn Vegetable Cannellini Bean Stew with Spelt Berries and Kale
Ingredients
- 230 grams cannellini beans sorted
- 45 grams spelt berries
- 1.4 litres filtered water plus more, for soaking
- 5 bay leaves
- 5 cm piece kombu
- 10 whole sage leaves
- 420 grams kabocha or red kuri squash cut into 2.5 cm triangles
- 5 medium Japanese (Hakurei) turnips quartered (or halved if small)
- 2 carrots roll cut into 1.2 cm pieces
- 225 grams Jerusalem artichokes cut into 1.2 cm slices
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Shetland sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves finely chopped (stems reserved)
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary finely chopped (stems reserved)
- 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 leek cut into 6 mm slices
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp tamari soy sauce
- 140 grams lacinato kale leaves (cavolo nero) thinly sliced
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Instructions
- Combine 230 grams cannellini beans, dried, and 45 grams spelt berries in a medium pan. To wash, fill pan with water, swish beans and grains around with your hands, let them settle then pour off the water. Repeat and drain.
- Cover with at least 960 ml (32 fl oz/4 cups) filtered water and soak 12 to 24 hours.
- Drain and rinse, return to pan and add 1.4 litres filtered water, 5 bay leaves, 5 cm piece kombu, 10 whole sage leaves and reserved herb stems from the thyme and rosemary.
- Bring to the boil over high heat; skim off any foam that rises to top with a small sieve or slotted spoon. Cover pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours or until beans are soft and creamy and spelt berries are plump.
- Remove and compost kombu, bay leaves and herbs. Drain, reserving cooking liquid and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and add 420 grams kabocha or red kuri squash, cubed, 5 medium Japanese (Hakurei) turnips, 2 carrots and 225 grams Jerusalem artichokes. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of 1 tsp Shetland sea salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Toss well, spread out in a single layer and roast for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, stir gently and return to oven for another 15 to 20 minutes or until browning and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Warm remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium to large pan over medium heat. Add 1 onion, finely chopped and sauté for 5 minutes or until golden.
- Stir in 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and cook another 2 minutes.
- Add 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, 2 tsp fresh rosemary, 1 tbsp fresh sage, 2 celery stalks, fienly chopped, 1 leek, finely sliced, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt; cook for 2 more minutes.
- Cover pan, reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes or until celery is tender.
- Add cooked beans and spelt berries, 600 ml (20 fl oz/2½ cups) reserved cooking liquid and roasted vegetables. Bring up to a simmer and cook uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes to allow flavours to meld.
- Add more bean cooking liquid to get the desired consistency. Stir in 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp tamari soy sauce and 140 grams lacinato kale leaves; cook for 2 more minutes or until kale is tender. Season to taste and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
A Summer Fruits Picnic Cake
Lovely recipe, I have been after a new recipe book may have to pick this one up.
Sophie
xx
http://www.pocockins.co.uk
A lovely review, the recipe looks lovely, although the ingredients look a bit long 🙂 x
The food looks yummy. I will be playing around with the recipe. Thanks for sharing.