Chorizo and butter bean stew is a quick, delicious and hearty recipe, this one-pot wonder is a perfect easy meal packed with flavour.
This quick simple stew complements spicy paprika-rich Spanish chorizo with fennel, tomatoes, sherry vinegar, and tinned beans.
Spanish-Influenced Butterbean Stew
This delicious stew uses many of my favourite ingredients, the creamy butter beans are joined by Spanish chorizo sausage and the aniseed flavour of fennel.
Butterbeans appear here in dishes as diverse as my vegan butter bean curry and my pork chop casserole.
Chorizo is equally as common in dishes like my prawn and chorizo pasta, chicken and chorizo risotto, chorizo shakshuka, chicken and chorizo pasta bake and the very different pan-fried cod with peas and chorizo!
Here it does the heavy lifting in a wonderfully easy yet boldly flavoured stew.
The chorizo is softened a little in olive oil to create the “oil” base to begin cooking the fennel.
The tomato passata, beans and stock are added with a little vinegar and honey, finally, everything is simmered to get the flavours to develop.
Finally, fresh cherry tomatoes are added to lighten the dish and it is topped with feta cheese and fresh parsley. It’s quick, easy, delicious, and perfect for a quick midweek dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use dried beans?
Yes, but this recipe is designed to be a quick stew. So you would need to cook them before getting started.
A pressure cooker or Instant Pot can speed this process up greatly. This is a handy guide to cooking beans in an Instant Pot.
What sort of Chorizo should I use?
I want to keep nice meaty rounds of sausage in this stew, as a result, I use cured Spanish chorizo sausage as opposed to cooking chorizo.
After that the choice is yours, I like to use a spicy sausage to give the stew a bit of heat.
A note for my US based readers. Spanish chorizo is very different to Mexican chorizo, so please bare this in mind.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, this will store in the fridge really well for 2-3 days after cooking.
I personally do not think that this dish freezes well, but technically it will freeze for 3 months. I find that frozen beans in a tomato sauce become grainy when frozen.
Do I have to use sherry vinegar?
No, you can sub this out for red or white wine vinegar, but sherry vinegar adds a wonderful flavour to this recipe!
Serving Suggestions
This chorizo and butter bean stew is a simple one-bowl meal, as a result, it does not need a “side” as far as I am concerned.
But I do usually serve it with some toasted bread that I have rubbed with garlic or some garlic baguette.
I have however served this dish as a side on many occasions.
It is wonderful with some simply cooked air fryer chicken thighs or even my harissa pork chops or Spanish-influenced pork chops.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Stovetop.
- 20cm or 8″ saucepan.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
Chorizo and Butter Bean Stew Recipe with Tomatoes and Fennel
A delicious, savoury and aromatic blend of spicy Spanish chorizo sausage and fennel star in this quick and easy butter bean stew to create a comforting and satisfying meal that's perfect for chilly evenings.
Ingredients
- 100g (3½ oz) Cured Spicy Chorizo Sausage
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Medium (250g) Fennel Bulb
- 1 (35g) Banana Shallot
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Tbsp Sherry Vinegar
- 200g (¾-1 Cup) Tomato Passata
- 250ml (1 Cup) Vegetable Stock
- 400g (14oz) Tin Butter Beans
- 1 Tbsp (20g) Honey
- 125g (¾ Cup) Cherry Tomatoes
- 50g (½ Cup) Feta Cheese
- Lots of Fresh Parsley
Instructions
- Cut the chorizo sausage into rings 3-4mm (⅛") thick.
- Heat a 20cm or 8" pan over medium-low heat and when it is hot add the olive oil and chorizo sausage and cook gently for 4-5 minutes. The idea is not to get any colour on the chorizo because you will burn the paprika and it will become bitter, just get the oils flowing.
- Trim the base from the fennel bulb and cut the flesh into a 1-1½cm (½") dice, add it to the chorizo and cook it for 3-4 minutes in the paprika-rich oil. If there are any fennel fronds on the bulb chop them and add them too.
- Cut the shallot in half, peel it and then cut it into a dice as finely as you can.
- Peel the garlic cloves and dice them as finely as you can.
- Add the garlic and shallot to the pan and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly to prevent burning,
- Pour in the vegetable stock, tomato passata and sherry vinegar and give everything a stir.
- Drain the butter beans and add them to the stew and then add the honey, stir have a taste and decide if you want to add any salt. This will depend on your stock and the chorizo.
- Allow the stew to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and then add them to the stew and cook for another 3-4 minutes to allow them to warm through.
- Serve sprinkled with crumbled feta cheese and freshly chopped parsley
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 766Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 1283mgCarbohydrates: 87gFiber: 22gSugar: 34gProtein: 36g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Sue
Wednesday 26th of April 2023
Tried it last night, absolutely delicious! Will have it again
Brian Jones
Thursday 27th of April 2023
So glad that you enjoyed it Sue, thank you for taking the time to let me know :)