This bean and vegetable stew with smoked sausage is made with tender beans, chopped vegetables, and sliced sausage cooked in a rich tomato sauce.
The smoked sausage adds plenty of flavor, while the beans make it filling enough for a family dinner.
This easy one-pot stew is a good choice for cold evenings, busy weeknights, or weekend meals. Serve it with crusty bread, rice, or mashed potatoes for a simple and hearty dinner.
The leftovers store and reheat well, making this smoked sausage and bean stew useful for meal prep and next-day lunches.
If you’re into warming, one-pot dinners like this one, these are worth bookmarking too:
- Chili Con Carne Traditional Mexican Food
- Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
- Spiced Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup
- Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Red Onion
Ingredients You’ll Need
The base here is just onion, bell pepper, eggplant and canned tomatoes simmered down into a thick sauce, with white beans added for heft and long smoked sausages going in whole so they hold their shape and season the broth as they cook.
Kielbasa works great if you can’t find a plain smoked sausage, just don’t slice it before it goes into the pot.
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
4 long smoked sausages, left whole
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Directions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the chopped onion and diced bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes until the onion turns soft and translucent.
You’re not looking for color here, just softness. - Add the cubed eggplant and minced garlic to the pot, and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often so the garlic doesn’t catch and burn.
The eggplant will start to soften and soak up the oil pretty fast, that’s normal.
If the pot looks dry, add a splash of the broth now instead of more oil. - Pour in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable broth, then stir in the smoked paprika, bay leaf and dried thyme.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot (that’s where a lot of the flavor is hiding).
Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, keeping in mind you’ll adjust again at the end. - Nestle the whole smoked sausages into the sauce so they’re mostly submerged, but do not cut or slice them.
Cover the pot and let everything simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, turning the sausages once halfway through so they cook evenly.
Keeping them whole means they stay juicy inside and the casing doesn’t fall apart into the sauce. - Stir in the drained white beans, then re-cover and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.
The eggplant should be fully tender by now and starting to break down into the sauce, which is exactly what thickens it.
This step takes a little longer than you’d expect if you want the sauce properly thick, so don’t rush it. - Taste the sauce and adjust the salt and pepper, then remove the bay leaf before serving.
Lift the sausages out just long enough to check they’re heated through, then settle them back into the pot.
Scatter chopped parsley over the top right before you serve it.
- Serve warm straight from the pot and enjoy!
Important Recipe Notes
Keep the sausages whole.
Cutting the sausages before they go into the pot lets the casings split as they simmer, and the meat ends up loose and crumbly in the sauce instead of holding together in neat slices.
If you want smaller pieces for serving, slice them at the table once they’re plated, not in the pot.
Let the eggplant break down fully.
By the time the beans go in, the eggplant should be soft enough that it’s starting to lose its cubed shape and blend into the tomato base.
If it’s still firm and holding together after the beans are stirred in, give the pot another 5 to 10 minutes covered over low heat.
Storage and reheating.
Let the stew cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container, then refrigerate for up to 4 days (the flavor actually deepens by day two, once everything has had time to sit together).
It also freezes well for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container, though the eggplant will soften a bit more once thawed, which isn’t really noticeable in a stew this thick.
To reheat, warm it gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, and add a splash of broth or water if the sauce has thickened more than you’d like.
How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe
Serving:
Ladle the stew into wide, shallow bowls so the sausage sits visible on top, and serve it hot with a thick slice of crusty bread for soaking up the sauce.
Customization.
Swap in cannellini or great northern beans for the white beans, or use chickpeas if that’s what’s in your pantry. Any good smoked sausage works here, kielbasa, andouille, or a spicier smoked chorizo will all change the flavor without changing the method.
For a milder version, cut the smoked paprika in half, or add a pinch of crushed red pepper if you want more heat.
Stew of Beans, Vegetables and Smoked Sausages with Tomato Sauce
Course: Recipes6
servings15
minutes45
minutes420
kcalIngredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 cups vegetable broth
2 (15-ounce) cans white beans, drained and rinsed
4 long smoked sausages, left whole
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Directions
- Saute the onion and bell pepper in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the eggplant and garlic and cook 5 minutes.
- Add crushed tomatoes, broth and seasonings, and bring to a simmer.
- Add the whole smoked sausages (do not slice them) and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the beans and simmer 10 to 15 minutes more, until the sauce thickens.
- Season to taste, discard the bay leaf, and top with parsley.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Drain and rinse canned beans before using them to remove excess sodium.
- Cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- Add quick-cooking vegetables, such as spinach or zucchini, near the end so they do not become too soft.
- Use low-sodium broth and no-salt-added tomatoes, since smoked sausage and canned beans can already contain plenty of salt.
- Estimated Nutrition Information:
Calories: 400–470
Protein: 20–25 grams
Carbohydrates: 38–46 grams
Fiber: 9–12 grams
Total fat: 18–24 grams
Saturated fat: 6–9 grams
Sugar: 8–12 grams
Sodium: 850–1,200 milligrams
Iron: approximately 4–6 milligrams
