Crockpot White Bean Stew

I recently had a new baby girl and am currently on maternity leave. As a working mom of two and Capricorn, I am already starting to obsess over how I am going to have a healthy meal on the table each night. So, I’ve decided to use the next couple of months of my leave creating a testing recipes that me or my husband can make for weeknight dinners.

So, here we go..

Crockpot White Bean Stew

Ingredients

2 lbs dried white beans, soaked overnight*

½ lb bacon

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 med. Onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic

1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed and chopped

Render bacon in a skillet, take out and place on a paper towel, keeping the flavorful fat in the pan. Next sauté onions and fennel in the bacon fat with a little salt until wilted (a good 10 mins), add garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Enjoy the bacon while preparing the rest of the dish. Putting it in the crockpot makes it soft and mushy.

Throw in onion and fennel mixture at the bottom of the crock pot and put drained beans over it. Add 8 cups of low sodium stock (chicken or veggie) and an additional 1-2 cups water. The amount of liquid really depends on your preference. If you want creamy stew then make sure the beans are covered with at least 2 inches of water, if you would like a more soup consistency, add more.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours until beans are soft and yummy. If you are like me and enjoy a more creamy consistency, use a potato masher and mash some up.

Add greens and let them them wilt into the hot beans. Serve with rice (I used brown rice). Add hot sauce as necessary.

Dylan loved it. It’s great watching her shovel a spoonful of greens into her mouth!

*I’ve doubled the recipe so I can put half in the freezer. Mix the swiss chard into the portion you plan to serve now. When you serve the one from the freezer, just heat it up and mix in the chard then.