Growing up, bean stew was one of the main dishes in every Albanian family.This bean stew is the menu of every Monday, of every single week of every winter in Albania. Even when is summer and it rains the first thing we do to comfort our stomach is bean stew! Every Monday my father makes bean stew and me and my aunt visit my parents on the beginning of the week to have some of the delicious bean stew that my family makes.
Usually this bean stew is made in big batches so if you have leftovers, the other day traditionally we cook rice and eat the stew with rice. Bean stew its like the traditional curry of Mediterranean area but made with local grown spices.
This stew is rich in proteins because of the beans and full of vitamins because of the vegetables. Some like it thick and leave it extra time to cook but we like it more like a soup consistency. If you have on plan to cook this flavorful bean stew you have to soak at least overnight the beans so they are ready to cook for the next day. You can find beans dried if you buy them on bulk in stores or farmers market or you can find them canned. I think there’s a huge difference in taste between canned beans and dried ones. Personally I prefer using dried beans and then I soak them instead of canned. What about you, what do you usually use canned or dried beans?
How to cook bean stew?
It is really easy to make this bean stew. Put the pressure cooker on medium heat, add some olive oil and let it heat. Then add the onion and celery. When the onion is soft add the spices and diced carrots and peppers. After 5 minutes, add the presoaked beans and let it cook with the vegetables for 2 minutes stirring occasionally. Then add the ripened tomato or tomato puree, parsley and water to cover all the beans and vegetables that are in the pressure cooker. Close the pressure cooker and be sure you have closed it properly. I usually let it sit for about 60 minutes but follow the instructions of your pressure cooker on how to cook beans. In the end the beans and the vegetables should be soft.
Since here in Albania bean stew is the most popular dish, we have a million delicious ways to eat this stew. I will write for you some yummy combinations.
Delicious combinations to eat Bean Stew
- Bean stew + corn bread
- Bean stew + rye bread
- Bean stew + cabbage sauerkraut
- Bean stew + piquillo peppers
- Bean stew + salad with lettuce and lots of onions
- Bean stew + drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top
- Bean stew + every fermented vegetable you have on hand
- Bean stew + cooked rice or “pilaf”
Pressure cooker bean stew is nutritious, delicious and the easiest meal to cook if you have a big family or if you want to save some for another day. They are the best for meal prep! It freezes well and goes well with corn bread and sauerkraut. Let us know on our social media if you try this recipe and also it would be lovely to see your pictures of this stew.
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried beans, soak them overnight (I used Cannellini Beans)
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 stalk of celery, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red or yellow pepper, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced ( If you don’t have tomatoes use 4 tbsp of tomato puree or passata)
- handful of parsley
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- water
Preparation
- Be sure to have soaked your Cannellini beans at least overnight. Drain the water they have been soaked and set aside.
- Put the pressure cooker over medium heat, add the olive oil and let it heat. Then add the onion and celery.
- When the onion is soft add smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, pepper, carrots and diced red and green peppers.
- After 5 minutes, add the presoaked beans and let them cook with the vegetables for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Then add the ripened tomato or tomato puree, parsley and water to cover all the beans and vegetables that are in the pressure cooker. Close the pressure cooker and be sure you have closed it properly. I usually let it sit for about 60 minutes but follow the instructions of your pressure cooker on how to cook beans. In the end the beans and the vegetables should be soft and tender.
- Try it if you want it more salty add some salt or if you want to add more water. Normally it should be like a thick soup consistency.
- Enjoy it with your favorite combinations!
Notes
- You can use canned beans but I haven’t tried them. 1 cup dried beans = 3 cup cooked beans. So if you want to use canned measure 3 cups of canned beans to use in this recipe. If you try this bean stew with canned beans, please let us know how it will turn out.
- You can store the stew in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- I have tried this recipe mostly with white beans or a combination of black and white beans and the result is the same.
- If you don’t have different kinds of peppers just use one type to replace the other.
