This is one of those incredible dishes that feels simultaneously rustic and fancy – it is, at its base, a bean stew, but it’s injected full of flavour.
I have a few recipes for chorizo based stews – like this River Cobbler with Chorizo and Bean Stew or this Chicken, Chorizo and Butter Bean Stew – but this one is different. I’ve cooked the white beans and the chorizo separately, which means you have wonderful creaminess cut with that salty, spicy chorizo.
If you don’t fancy chorizo, you could easily switch it out for some fried halloumi to make this a vegetarian dish.
The White Beans
I got my white beans from a jar. I hadn’t tried that particular brand before, but they were very good and worked perfectly in this recipe. The ones I bought were these ones from the Bold Bean Co (I got them from my local Sainsbury’s), but you could use any white beans;
The key here is letting them simmer until soft (with onion and garlic, of course), then adding a dash of double cream to really enrich them. I added frozen peas and parsley then too, for a bit of brightness.
You could add a dash of white wine after cooking the onion and garlic (before adding the beans to the saucepan), if you like. That would work really nicely.
The Chorizo and Peppers
I topped this dish with some fried chorizo and roasted red peppers.
I’d suggest using a spicy chorizo, if you can. It’ll cut through the creamy beans and add another delicious level to this dish.
I used jarred roasted red peppers – I always do in dishes like this. If you want to roast your own, feel free! I don’t have the time or inclination to do that on a weeknight, though. The roasted red peppers I bought were Karyatis ones – they’re in a little vinegary marinade which adds a nice level of flavour. These ones would do a similar job:
This recipe takes 25 minutes to make and serves 4 (with some crusty bread on the side).
Creamy White Beans and Chorizo
Save This RecipeIngredients
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 1 onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 570 g white beans, jar or tin (400g drained weight)
- 50 ml double cream
- 200 g frozen peas
- 1 handful flat leaf parsley
- 225 g chorizo
- 450 g jar of roasted peppers
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Peel and chop your onion into small pieces. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion. Sauté over a medium heat for 5 minutes until starting to soften.
- Peel and chop the garlic cloves into small pieces, then add to the onion. Cook for a further 30 seconds.
- Add the beans and a dash of water. Turn the heat down to low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Stir every now and then, making sure they don’t catch on the bottom.
- Meanwhile, slice your chorizo into 5mm rings. Add to a frying pan and put on a medium heat. Cook, turning often, until starting to turn golden (keep an eye on them – they burn easily).
- Drain the jar of peppers and cut them into 1 inch chunks. Add to the pan with the chorizo, then add your honey and balsamic vinegar. Stir until everything is well coated. Cook for another 2 minimum, then remove from the heat.
- Turn back to your beans. Add the cream, peas and chopped parsley, along with a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Cook for another two minutes.
- To serve, ladle the beans into bowls and top with the chorizo and red peppers. Enjoy!
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