This warming stew can be made from what’s in your pantry

A lifesaving recipe to have in your back pocket for cold nights after busy days.

Warming, hearty and yum, this stew is simple to put together. Photo: Nikki To

Elizabeth Hewson

less than 2 min read

11:00AMJune 13, 2024.

Updated 11:18AMJune 13, 2024

The Weekend Australian Magazine

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My pantry stew is a lifesaving recipe to have in your back pocket. As the name suggests, it is rustled together from what’s in the pantry. Beans, hearty and filling, form the backbone, joined by the bright acidity of canned tomatoes. Onions bring a sweet depth, slowly softening in the pot, while garlic adds aromatic warmth. It’s a dish born of simplicity and resourcefulness, where each element finds its place, transforming into something greater than the sum of its parts. Here, I’ve adorned it with a drizzle of basil oil to remind me of warmer days, and a blob of ricotta, but that’s mostly because I had time to prepare and wanted to show it could be elevated if you felt the need. More often than not, it’s served without any adornment, just crusty bread for dipping. Feel free to use any canned beans; butter beans are my favourite. You can fry up bacon, add a fried egg on top, or include vegetables in the stew – just adjust the cooking time to suit. Make this your own.

Try also my lamb and barley stew.

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Beans form the backbone of this delicious dish. Photo: Nikki To

Pantry stew

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 onion, finely diced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 x 400ml canned beans, rinsed
• 1 x 400ml can cherry tomatoes
• Pinch of dried chilli
• 250ml vegetable or chicken stock (you can use stock cubes here if you prefer)
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (or lemon)
• Lemon zest
• Basil oil or pesto, to serve, optional, see below
• Ricotta, optional

Method

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium pot over a medium heat. Add the onion and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes until the onions are jammy and sweet. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute, followed by the tomato paste. Give everything a good stir.
2. Add the beans.
3. Using the back of a spoon or potato masher, break roughly half of the beans up – this releases the creamy, starchy interior of the beans and will help thicken so it’s less soup, more stew. Add canned tomatoes, dried chilli and stock (or hot water and stock cube).
4. Taste and season. If the tomatoes are very acidic, you might find a pinch of sugar helps balance things out.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the consistency is to your liking.
6. Add vinegar (or lemon juice), stir and turn off heat. Ladle stew into bowls, zest over lemon and top with ricotta and basil oil (if using). Serve with bread. Serves 4

Basil oil

Ingredients

• 1 cup basil leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt flakes
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Add basil, garlic, salt, 1 tablespoon of water and lemon zest into a small food processor and blitz until chopped. Add olive oil and blitz again until you have a vibrant, smooth green oil. Serves 4