Instant Pot Spicy White Bean and Chard Stew
Instant Pot Spicy White Bean and Chard Stew is a mediterranean inspired stew with hearty white beans, swiss chard and red pepper flakes. Top with parmesan for the perfect cozy meal! {GF, VEG}
This time of year can be pretty confusing. The weather gets beautiful for a while and feels like spring, then it gets flipping cold and reminds you that it really is still winter.
It was glorious flip-flop weather for a while, but now the weather is back to being cold and rainy. Comfort food like this Instant Pot Spicy White Bean and Chard Stew is just what Mother Nature ordered.
I’ve been making this stew behind the scenes for about a month because I’ll take any excuse to use my Instant Pot, and my garden is cranking out rainbow chard like nobody’s business.
An abundance of rainbow chard is a phenomenal “problem” to have, let me tell you. 🙂
If you didn’t see my Produce of the Month Guide: Swiss Chard post, check it out for more info and recipes utilizing this underused green.
Swiss chard has phenomenal flavor raw, so it’s also great in salads. My new favorite way to use it is in pesto sauce! Sub it out with the spinach in my Spinach Walnut Pesto and prepare to be amazed.
Swiss chard is often used in mediterranean cooking, so it’s perfect in this mediterranean-inspired Instant Pot Spicy White Bean and Chard Stew!
Instant Pot Spicy White Bean and Chard Stew
Most people equate the word stew with meat and big chunky vegetables, so it may seem strange that I chose to use the word stew for this vegetarian dish.
In actuality the difference between soup and stew is the amount of liquid used. Stews contain a lot less liquid than soups, making them thicker and heartier, while soups are quite brothy.
Vegetarian stews are every bit as satisfying as ones that contain meat — see my Butternut Squash, Pepper and Chard Stew for more proof.
This stew contains an entire pound of dried Great Northern Beans, so to say it’s hearty is an understatement. The beans are soaked using the overnight or quick methods that I’ve outlined in the recipe below.
Once soaked, the beans are ready to be cooked in the Instant Pot with the other ingredients, and it takes all of 25-30 minutes.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, a regular pressure cooker will work just fine too.
Using dried beans is essential in this recipe as they make this more of a stew. Dried beans develop a thicker, starchier liquid during cooking which is just what this dish needs.
The beans are complemented with fire roasted diced tomatoes, carrots, onion, and the spicy element –> red pepper flakes.
White beans, greens and red pepper flakes are one of those classic combinations that never goes out of style. The spiciness is just what this vegetarian stew needs to take it over the top.
Top this Instant Pot Spicy White Bean and Chard Stew off with freshly grated parmesan or keep it vegan and omit it altogether.
This meal is guaranteed to keep you warm and cozy until spring really does arrive. 🙂
Instant Pot Spicy White Bean and Chard Stew
Ingredients
- 1 lb. dried Great Northern beans
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 28 ounces low sodium fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 bunch swiss chard tough stems removed and chopped into ribbons
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- freshly grated parmesan for garnish (optional)
Equipment
Instructions
Prep the beans:
- Rinse and sort the dried beans, discarding any beans that are discolored or cracked. Place in a large soup pot and fill with water until covered by 1-2 inches. Soak the beans using the overnight or quick soak methods described below. Do not add salt.
- Overnight soak: Cover and place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Quick soak: Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and let stand covered for 1 hour.
- Once soaked, drain the beans in a colander and rinse with cold water.
Prepare the stew:
- Press the Saute button on the Instant Pot and select 6 minutes, then add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and carrot and saute for 5 minutes till softened. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, stock or water, rosemary, oregano, bay leaf and salt. Add the beans and stir to combine.
- Lock the lid in place and select the Beans/Chili button or Pressure mode for 20 minutes. When the stew has finished cooking, release the pressure slowly or quick release. If the beans need more time, select the Saute button and cook with the lid off for another 5 minutes or so.
- Remove the lid and press the Saute button. Season with additional kosher salt and pepper to taste, and add the swiss chard cooking just until wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- Make this meal vegan by omitting the parmesan cheese.
- This stew is great for meal prep and is freezer friendly. It's even better after the first day!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
21 Comments on “Instant Pot Spicy White Bean and Chard Stew”
Oh gosh tell me about it. It was 80 degrees here last week and then this morning it was cold again! It’s confusing all our poor plants! haha
ANYWAY. I love using swiss chard and yet I always forget about it! This stew looks perfect!
It is confusing to the plants — it’s crazy! The chard in my garden is growing crazy so I needed this recipe. haha Thanks Ashley!
I can totally relate to the flip flopping weather Marcie. It goes from cold to snow to mild weather here in the span of just a few days. Luckily, I could go for this spicy stew any time of year! And I love an excuse to try another recipe in my Instant Pot!
I just don’t know how to dress from one day to the next but luckily spring is almost here! Thanks Leanne!
Our weather has also been warm to freezing, constantly! Whatever the weather though, I would love this stew! I’m partial to stew over soup; so hearty and filling! This looks fantastic!
Sounds like everyone’s weather is up and down! I don’t make stew enough and need to change that!
I agree about the weather, it was so nice today and then we got a reminder that it is still winter, so we are getting snow tomorrow. I’ll definitely try this soup, looks amazing!
The crazy weather seems to be a trend for sure! Thanks Mira! 🙂
This weather has been so finicky here, too! We’ve had some 60 degree day, like yesterday, and now it’s cold and rainy. All I want to do is to curl up with a big bowl of this stew! Looks so warm and comforting, Marcie! I love the chard in here! Adding this recipe to my must-make instant pot list!
It’s been raining more the past few weeks then it has all year so soup is on! Thanks Gayle and I hope you enjoy this!
I am totally digging this stew, Marcie!!! It looks so hearty and filling, yet I love that it’s light and healthy at the same time! Plus it’s super quick and easy!? I mean, sign me up!! Pinned! Cheers!
Consider yourself signed UP! Thanks Cheyanne! 🙂
I don’t own an Instant Pot and my pressure cooker is somewhere in storage but it doesn’t matter. I would STILL make this soup over the stovetop, it sounds crazy town delicious!
Thanks Christina — where there’s a will there’s a way! 🙂
Just wanted to say that I’ve made this a couple times, and think it’s really delicious. I made a couple minor changes that I thought I’d share, in case others are interested:
I didn’t prep the dry beans in any way. I just dumped them in the pot dry, at the same point in the recipe that it calls for them to be added. I pressed the “Chili” button (on my IP Duo), and changed the time from the default of 30 minutes to 40 minutes.
When the timer went off, I quick released the pressure, and then pushed the Saute button, and added the Swiss Chard, just as the recipe instructs. I also added some chopped up sausage (an andouille sausage that was pre-cooked (the kind you find in the grocery store with the lunchmeats–so in other words, it comes pre-cooked, and just needs to be heated up), and let it heat up as the Swiss chard wilted.
I think it’s really delicious this way, and a bit easier, since there’s no need to pre-cook the beans in any way.
Hi Doug! I appreciate you leaving this feedback…it’s nice to hear how others have modified the recipe to their tastes and hear tips on how to make the process easier. I will try your method using the dried beans without soaking next time. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank! I was looking for an adjustment to account for not soaking or precooking the beans.
I think there’s a boo boo in the Nutrition Information. It says:
Yield: 8-10 servings, Serving Size: 8 servings
Yield would be number of servings. But, Serving size should be in volume (cups, oz. etc.).
Making it right now, so should be interesting!
You’re definitely right — that was an error. Thank you for the heads up and I hope you enjoy the stew!
I am eating it right now, and this soup is excellent, with or without the parmesan cheese. To not have chard stems left over after cutting off the tender leaves, chop them up and throw them in with the beans. I used navy beans and crushed tomatoes, because that’s what I had in the house, decreasing the liquid a little, and that worked well. Curious but nervous about Doug’s idea of not soaking the beans, I let them soak for just a few hours when I got up, then cooked on bean/chili for 25 minutes in time to be ready for lunch! Thanks for posting this recipe.
I appreciate you taking the time to leave your feedback Susan — thank you! And I’m so glad that you enjoyed the stew. 🙂