I fell in love with a bag of dried beans in Waitrose the other week. I know, weird stuff happens to me! After admiring the 10 different beans in the mix I realised I needed to cook something which really celebrated them and made them the star of the show, which is how this Bean and Celeriac Stew happened.
A lot of people worry about cooking dried beans and think they are a faff but trust me they really aren’t. You just need to make them fit into your life. So, I put them into soak the day before I was going to boil them and then they spent a night in the fridge before I made the stew. It wasn’t time consuming, it was just making the beans work for me. It’s ok if you end up soaking them for a day longer than you intended too, they are pretty easy going! I had them boiling away while I was getting on with other stuff in the kitchen so wasn’t really paying them any attention. I boiled the whole bag and used some in this recipe and froze the others for another time. So that next meal is super easy! And at £1.10 for around 12 portions of food they are a cheap and filling source of fiber and plant protein.
The celeriac was on offer and I wasn’t sure what to do with it but the nutty aniseed tang works brilliantly. If you really don’t like it, I know some people have strong feelings about celeriac, you can sub in some potatoes instead. I would leave the skin of the potatoes on so they hold together better.
Don’t be put off by the list of ingredients, they are all easy to come by and make for rich and tasty stew for a bargain. It also freezes brilliantly for packed lunches and would be delicious as a side or as a main meal perhaps with a chunk of fresh bread. And all for less than £1 a portion.
Bean and Celeriac Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 red onions, chopped in half lengthways and finely sliced
- 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
- 350g peeled celeriac, in 1cm cubes
- 2 large carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthways and chopped into 1cm semi-circles
- 3 sticks celery, sliced into 0.5cm pieces
- 1 green pepper chopped into 1cm cubes
- 100ml red wine (optional)
- 200ml vegetable stock
- 600g mixed cooked beans
- 1 heaped teaspoon spicy paprika
- 1 heaped teaspoon smoked paprika
- 500g carton of passata
- Salt and pepper
- Handful of chopped parsley
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oil in large saucepan, fry the onions, celeriac, celery, carrots, green pepper and garlic for 5 minutes.
- Step 2 Add red wine and cook for a minute then add both the paprikas and the stock, stir and cook the veggies with the lid on, at a simmer for 5mins.
- Step 3 Remove the lid, add the passata and cook for another 10mins at a simmer. The vegetables should be just soft.
- Step 4 Stir in the mixed beans and cook for a further 5 minutes until everything is soft but not breaking up.
- Step 5 Stir through the parsley, season to taste and serve.
This looks like a great meal to try in the fall, especially since the cold weather has come in! 🙂
Seems healthy and a decent meall. I woulf share this eith my mom, so we can have something simmilar. Great wprk
This looks great! I love soups and stews. I must try this one!
I love a good stew! Especially this time of year!
Wow this looks so tasty. I have never cooked with beans but it is something I would really like to try. Bookmarked this recipe to use this winter.
Wow- that look amazing (great photography too )
I have never come across celeriac before so this recipe really intrigued me. I will have to take a look for it at the market next time I am out and about. All in all, the recipe sound amazing and I would probably make it if I could not find the celeriac. Do you have a recommendation for a substitute in that case?
You could use potatoes (I would keep the skins on too, just wash) or perhaps swede or even parsnips? Celeriac looks crazy with its ball of roots but can be eaten cooked or raw so is fun to add to your shop.
This looks like a delicious fall and winter meal. Can’t wait to try it!
I hope you enjoy it – perfect for the cooler weather.
Thank you for sharing. I think the most challenging part is remembering to soak the beans, I can’t tell you how many times I decided to make a bean stew only to discover that I forgot to soak the beans. ;( This sounds tasty.
Yes you do have to plan ahead but remember they can soak for longer than a day and still be ok. This is also why I soak and boil loads at once and put some in the freezer so I am ready to go!
This looks and sounds absolutely delicious. Will try it tonight! <3
I hope you enjoy it! x
I love celeriac! Will have to bookmark this one to give it a try sometime, sounds delicious!
Thanks for sharing, we eat beans alot in my home. This is definitely a recipe to try out.
OMG! That looks so good, definitely going to try and make this