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Origin of the traditional Spanish Butter bean stew

Smoky Butter Bean Stew with Sweet Potato and Kale is adapted from a classic Spanish dish called ‘Judiones de la Granja con Pimientos del Piquillo’. The recipe hails from Segovia in the central region of Castilla y León, and nowadays can be found served all over Spain, either as a tapas or as a main. 

The beauty of this recipe is it is deliciously simple with few ingredients, yet combined offers a full-flavored and filling stew that can easily be made vegan or with meat, with both versions having a distinctive smoky flavor. 

Traditional ingredients

The ingredients used vary depending on where you are served this recipe, although it is often served the traditional way with chorizo (and sometimes it is made with pig’s ear and blood sausage). The meat is stewed with large butter beans, onion, bay leaf, garlic, olive oil, salt, and paprika in a traditional clay pot.

We have made a vegan-friendly version that uses butter beans, sweet potatoes, and some spinach, all combined with smoky flavors from the smoked paprika.

Budget-friendly comfort food

You can’t beat feeding 4-6 guests for around $15. Yep, that’s right, this recipe can be made for just a few dollars per serving! 

Perhaps the best thing about this recipe is it can be made with some basic pantry staples, and even with tinned or frozen products. 

Here are a few costs of ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe:

Walmart (USA/USD$)

• Large butter beans 16oz (tinnned) $1.36
• Great Value Chopped Spinach, 12 oz (Frozen) $1.06
• Great Value Sweet Potatoes, 10 oz (Frozen) $1.48

Tesco (UK/GBP£)

• Tesco Butter Beans 400G £0.70
• Tesco curly Kale 180g £0.75
• Tesco Sweet Potatoes 1Kg £0.99

Woolworths (Australia/AUD$)

• Gold Sweet Potatoes 1kg $4.50
• Annalisa Butter Beans 400g $1.85
• Bell Farms Chopped Spinach 250g $ 0.95

Tinned, canned, or frozen ingredients

It’s common to find tinned or frozen butter beans in most supermarkets and they require no extra prep work to be used in this recipe. 

Frozen spinach, kale, and even sweet potato are also easy to find in the frozen food section of any supermarket and work great in this recipe. You only need to thaw your veg before using it or alternatively, add a few extra minutes of cooking time and cook with veg straight from the freezer.

Butter beans

Butter beans are edible legumes also known as lima beans, sieva beans, Madagascar beans, or wax beans. You’ll find them either tinned and prepared (ready for cooking), or dried. Dried butter beans require some preparation before they can be added to recipes. 

Butter beans were originally prized for their large size and were introduced into Spain as fodder for livestock. They once had dark purple skin and over the years have grown and adapted a white skin that we know today. Butter beans are prized in cooking as they are filling and healthy. They’re Gluten-Free, low in fat and sugar, and high in protein. 

If you use dried butterbeans 

If you’re using dried butterbeans, there are some steps before cooking with them. 

• Step 1 – Rehydrate dried butterbeans in fresh water for at least 8 hours (overnight is best). 
• Step 2 – Simmer them in some boiling water for 1-2 hours. 

For convenience, we used tinned butter beans. They’re cheap and easy to find in any decent grocery store.

Healthy, filling, and nutritious stew

For this recipe, we opted for a vegan-friendly version that was filling and loaded with healthy and nutritious ingredients. Butter beans are the perfect addition as they have a soft buttery texture and soak up the smoky paprika flavors really well.

Stews are very popular during the cooler months so we wanted to keep the ingredient list seasonal and used sweet potato and kale, along with some butter beans. 

Swap spinach for kale or any other favorite leafy green veg. Normal potatoes also work well instead of sweet potatoes. 

Storage and Meal prep

Stews are ideal for making big batches and can easily be frozen. This recipe makes around 6 servings of 6.5oz (180g), but it can be easily scaled up to make a few batches, just make sure you have a large enough pot! 

When stored in an airtight container, Butter bean Stew will keep for 3 days in the fridge, and for up to 3 months when frozen.

Nutrition facts – Smoky butter bean stew

More Healthy Vegan Recipes

How long does smoky butter bean stew take to make?

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
• Total time: 25-35 Minutes

Is this recipe vegan?

It sure is! This smoky butter bean recipe is 100% vegan, but we’ve also made a meat version of this recipe here.

Are butter beans good for you?

Butter beans are incredibly healthy. They are low in fat and calories and high in protein and fiber, folate, starch, and iron. Butter beans are also loaded with antioxidants.

Do butter beans contain Gluten?

Butter beans are 100% Gluten-free.

How many calories in butter beans?

A cup serving (170-gram) of cooked butter beans contains 209 calories. A 180g serving of this smoky butter bean stew contains just 191 calories.

How to thicken butter bean stew?

Breadcrumbs are an easy way to thicken any stew. Another option is to mash some sweet potato or mash the butter beans themselves. 

Can tinned or frozen butter beans be used?

Yes, tinned or frozen butter beans are fine to use for this recipe. They require no additional preparation and are more convenient than using dried butter beans.