White Beans & Spinach

White Beans Stewed with Spinach

A humble Spanish Lenten dish (Judía blanca con espinacas)

Some of the best dishes are built from the humblest ingredients.

Not because they’re extravagant, but precisely because they’re not.

Recipes like this — white beans slowly stewed with garlic, vegetables, olive oil, and finished with fresh spinach — come from a time when food wasn’t about stimulation or novelty. It was about nourishment, seasonality, and making the most of what was available.

Humble ingredients. Humble methods.

But when cooking this simply, something shifts: the quality of the ingredients becomes everything.

You can’t hide behind heavy spice blends or explosive sauces. There’s nowhere to conceal blandness. The beans have to taste like beans. The olive oil has to be good. The vegetables have to carry real flavor.

And that’s part of the beauty of it.

In today’s world, we’re constantly surrounded by more — more ingredients, more complexity, more stimulation. Global flavors at any time of year. Endless combinations. Endless novelty.

And while that abundance is a privilege, it can also distance us from the quiet depth of simpler food.

Sometimes it’s good to pull back.

To cook something that doesn’t try to impress. Something that nourishes without overwhelming.

Dishes like this — traditionally eaten across Spain, often enriched with bacalao but just as complete in their plant-based form — remind us that simplicity isn’t lack.

More often than not, simplicity lets the ingredients speak more clearly than complexity ever could.

Ingredients

• 500 g dried white beans

• Water, for soaking & cooking

For the stew base

• 1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled

• 4–5 bay leaves

• 1–2 long green peppers (Italian variety)

• 2–3 tomatoes (halved or whole)

• 3–4 spring onions (or 1 whole onion, peeled)

• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

• Salt, to taste

To finish

• 750 g – 1 kg fresh spinach

• Black or white pepper

• Extra virgin olive oil, for serving

Optional to serve

• Piparras (pickled green chilies)

• Red or white wine vinegar

• Rustic sourdough bread

Step 1 — Soak the Beans

Place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with plenty of cold water.

Soak overnight (8–12 hours).

The next day, drain and rinse well.

Step 2 — Start the Stew

Add soaked beans to a large pot and cover with fresh water.

Add:

• Whole head of garlic

• Bay leaves

Bring to a boil, then skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface.

Reduce to a gentle simmer.

Cook for about 45 minutes.

Step 3 — Add the Vegetables

When the beans are halfway cooked, add:

• Whole green peppers

• Tomatoes

• Spring onions (or whole onion)

Add a pinch of salt and about ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil.

Continue cooking very gently for another 45–60 minutes, until the beans are fully tender.

White beans usually take 1.5 to 2 hours total, depending on age and size.

Step 4 — Blend the Stew Base

Once the beans are soft:

1. Remove the cooked vegetables.

2. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins.

3. Remove stems from the peppers.

4. Finely chop everything.

Return this mixture to the pot.

This naturally thickens the stew and deepens the flavor without needing any added spices.

Check liquid levels — you want a thick, brothy consistency. Add a little water if needed, but usually it’s not necessary.

Step 5 — Add the Spinach

Add 2 large bunches of fresh spinach (roughly 750 g – 1 kg).

Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Bring to a brief boil and cook just until the spinach wilts and integrates into the beans.

Do not overcook — the greens should stay vibrant.

Serving

Serve hot in bowls.

Finish each portion with a fresh drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Traditionally accompanied by:

• Piparras (pickled green chilies) for heat & acidity

• A splash of wine vinegar at the table

• Rustic sourdough bread for dipping

Simple, humble, deeply nourishing food — the kind that has sustained people for generations.