This hearty butterbean and chickpea stew reminds me of the vegetable soup that my mum used to make when I was little. At the time I was the fussiest eater in the world and drove my parents completely insane! I used to eat a round of bread with no butter and that was it! Mum’s vegetable soup however was something I could eat and enjoy without causing too much of a drama (picked out all the parsnip, which I loathed back then). I loved the butter beans and sopping up all the broth with my (dry) piece of bread was comfort food at its best.
Well, how times have changed! No longer a fussy eater (thank goodness!) and parsnips I now love!
Butterbean and Chickpea Stew
Canned butterbeans and chickpeas are really cheap ( I got 3 cans of butterbeans for £1), nutritious and convenient for those days when you want something pretty quick. You probably will have most of the ingredients already, it’s such a simple budget-friendly dish and very tasty!
I made one big pot that did the two of us for dinner and then the rest for lunch the following day. Why is it that stew tastes even better the following day? I’m sure one of you foods science geeks out there can answer that one…
Butterbean and Chickpea Stew
Ingredients
- 600g potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and chopped into cubes
- 3 medium sized carrots, sliced
- 2 medium sized parsnips, sliced
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 900ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- pinch of basil
- pinch of salt and black pepper
- 1 tin butterbeans, drained
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
Instructions
- Place your potatoes, carrots, parsnips, leek and onion into a large saucepan with vegetable stock. Bring to the boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer. Add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic, a pinch of basil, along with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer until the vegetables have softened (around 40-45 minutes).
- When the vegetables have softened, check the seasoning and add more if necessary. Then add the butterbeans and chickpeas and simmer uncovered for a further 5 minutes.
- Serve with some crusty bread on the side.