AnchorMommy

One Pot Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato Stew with Greens

October 16, 2009 by Shannon

Don’t you just love one pot recipes? Set this Sun-Dried Tomato Stew to simmering, put the game on, and put up your feet. It requires minimal maintenance and will fill your house with the most heavenly aroma.

I devised this recipe on a night we had company, which is always a bit risky since you can’t be totally sure how it will turn out, but it was the star of the dinner table. We topped ours with some ribbons of fresh basil, shredded Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve up some hearty bread alongside this stew, and you’ve got yourself a fantastic, filling and low-maintenance meal.

Sun-Dried Tomato Stew with Greens

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (preferably the kind packed in oil)
• 15 oz. can of white beans (ie. Great Northern, cannellini or navy)
• 5-6 kale leaves
• 32 oz. (1 quart) vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup pearled barley
• 1/4–1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4–1/2 chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Greek seasoning (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving at the table

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Dice the onion. Peel and mince the garlic.
3. Once oil is hot, saute the onions until nearly translucent. Add garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Drain and rinse the beans, and add to the pot. Cook for another 2 minutes, while you roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes.
5. Add the tomatoes, vegetable broth, water, and bay leaves to the pot. Add the cayenne and chili powder (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of each, depending on the type of heat you like). Add Greek seasoning (optional), plus salt and pepper, to taste. Turn the heat down, cover, and let simmer anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour. The longer, the better.
6. Swish the kale leaves in cold water and pat them dry with a paper towel. Strip them from the mid-rib. (Fold each leaf in half with the vein-side out and pull off the leafy part.) Roughly chop, and set aside.
7. 45 minutes before serving, add the pearled barley.
8. About 10 minutes before serving, remove the bay leaves and add the chopped kale. You want it to cook just long enough that it wilts into the stew, but still retains a bright green color.
9. Serve with fresh basil, Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

You could easily substitute a couple handfuls for baby spinach for the kale, but I love the texture that kale gives to this stew. I also enjoy the hint of heat in this dish, because it just kinda warms you up from the inside. (Michael can stomach a higher level of heat than Kellan and I can, so he added some red pepper flakes to his bowl.) This is a perfect lazy day recipe — give it a try this weekend!