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This Tuscan Bean Stew is hearty, spicy, healthy and satisfying. Full of veggies, beans, and whole wheat pasta it's a high protein, high fiber, delicious meal that's done in 30 minutes.
This is one of our family's favorite soups. The veggies are crunchy, the beans and parmesan are creamy. It's an all-around feel good food.
I made this soup for the first time years ago, when I first started cooking. My husband, who at that time was skeptical about the abundance of veggies, actually said "I wish my stomach was bigger so I could eat more of this soup!"
It was a nice endorsement from someone who used to live on Taco Bell and Frozen Pizzas, to say the least 🙂 Fast forward a few years later, and my husband still loves this soup - and now my kids love it too!
This recipe is great because it's super easy to make, takes only 30 minutes, and it's a great vehicle for "sneaking" extra veggies into your diet. The tomato and white bean base work well with just about any vegetables you might want to add into the soup. I chose carrots, bell peppers, kale, and red onions - but you can really use anything you'd like.
Tools and Equipment You'll Need For This Recipe
How to Make Tuscan Bean Stew - Step by Step
Step 1: Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and chop your veggies. Meanwhile, boil water for your pasta in a separate pot. Add the carrots, peppers, onion, and garlic and sauté until soft, about 5-10 minutes.
Step 2: Add in the kale, cook 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Add the crushed tomatoes, broth, beans, and spices (red pepper flakes, salt, pepper). In the separate pot of boiling water, cook your pasta.
Step 4: Once the pasta is done, drain it and set aside. If you use penne pasta for this recipe, I recommend cutting each penne pasta in half when it's done cooking - to make them smaller and match the size of the other ingredients in the soup
Step 5: Simmer the stew for 20 minutes on medium-low heat.
Step 6: When the stew is close to done, stir in the pasta.
Step 7: Cook everything together for another 5-10 minutes on low heat (be careful not to overcook the pasta though!)
Step 8: Ladle into bowls, and top each bowl with 1 tbsp of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
What makes this Tuscan Bean Stew healthy?
- Full of Veggies: This stew is chock full of veggies with leafy greens, peppers, carrots, and onions. Not only will you get several servings of veggies eating this soup, but you'll also get tons of vitamins and nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, calcium, potassium and manganese.
- Superfood Kale: Kale is a superfood and a leafy green. It's recommended to consume leafy greens everyday yet most Americans don't include these powerful veggies in their diet enough. Adding them to soups is an easy way to enjoy your greens. This soup uses baby kale which is not as coarse as the curly leaf kale you often see being used. Kale provides dietary fiber, protein, thiamine, riboflavin, folate, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
- High in Plant-Protein: The beans in this stew give it a hearty dose of plant-protein, coupled with the whole wheat pasta, and you've got a complete protein source. One serving of stew has 15 grams of protein.
- High in Fiber: All of the added veggies along with the beans and whole wheat pasta make this soup an excellent source of fiber. One serving has 15 grams of your daily recommended 25 grams of fiber.
Will kids enjoy this Tuscan Bean Stew?
My kids are crazy for this soup! The beans, pasta and veggies are chopped into perfect bite sized pieces. With Tuscan Italian seasonings, and not too spicy, it's the perfect way to sneak extra veggies into their diet.
Can you freeze this Tuscan Bean Stew?
Yes, you can freeze this soup. I recommend preparing the soup according to the recipe directions and leaving the pasta out. When ready to defrost and serve, prepare the whole wheat pasta according to the directions and add to the soup once heated through and ready to serve. This will prevent mushy or mealy pasta after it's defrosted.
This soup will last for 2-3 months in an air tight freezer container.
What do you serve with Tuscan Bean Stew?
- Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Whole Wheat Garlic Bread
- Green Salad
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich
- Use baby kale. This will help you save time de-stemming regular kale.
- Cut whole wheat penne pasta shells in half to create bite sized pieces that are the same size as the other ingredients in the soup.
- Don't add the cooked pasta until just before you're ready to serve. Adding it too soon will result in overcooked mushy pasta.
- Drain and rinse beans before adding them to the soup.
- Use low-sodium vegetable broth and no salt added beans to reduce overall sodium.
- If you don't have baby kale, you can also use baby spinach
- To make this soup vegan, just omit the cheese!
Top Tips for Making Tuscan Bean Stew
CHECK-OUT THESE OTHER Healthy Soup and Stew RECIPES!
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