Borlotti bean stew in a thick orange-brown sauce, topped with a bay leaf, in a square white bowl beside a spoon on a peach tablecloth. — Photo: Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Mediterranean · Lunch · Dinner

Balkan Bean Stew

Name: Balkan Bean Stew
Prep time: 75 min
Cook time: 110 min
Total time: 185 min
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups dried borlotti (cranberry) beans; 6 cups water, for quick-soaking; 8 1/2 cups water, for cooking; 2 medium onions, finely chopped; 2 medium carrots, diced; 1 large red bell pepper, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 leaves bay leaves; 1 1/2 tbsp sunflower oil; 1 1/2 tbsp plain wheat flour; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground; 1 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Grah

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 20, 2026 · How we make recipes

A thick, smoky stew of tender borlotti beans simmered with onion, carrot, pepper and paprika, finished with a light roux in the traditional Balkan way. It is hearty and comforting, and lighter than versions made with sausage.

Prep: 75 min
Cook: 110 min
Total: 185 min
Serves: 6

Easy
Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy Free

18%

Per serving355kcal18% of a 2,000 kcal day

21gProtein

60gCarbs

5gFat

23gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 66% · Fat 12% · Protein 22%

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Ingredients

For 6 servings

2 1/2 cups500 gdried borlotti (cranberry) beans
6 cups1,500 gwater, for quick-soaking
8 1/2 cups2,000 gwater, for cooking
2 medium220 gonions, finely chopped
2 medium120 gcarrots, diced
1 large150 gred bell pepper, diced
4 cloves12 ggarlic, minced
2 leavesbay leaves
1 1/2 tbsp20 gsunflower oil
1 1/2 tbsp12 gplain wheat flour
2 tsp5 gsweet paprika
1 tspsmoked paprika
1 tbsp16 gtomato paste
1 1/2 tsp9 gsalt
1/2 tspblack pepper, ground
1 tbsp15 gred wine vinegar (optional)
1/4 cup10 gfresh parsley, chopped

Steps

1
Rinse the beans and pick out any stones.
2
Put the beans in a large pot with the soaking water, bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes.
3
Turn off the heat, cover and leave the beans to soak for 1 hour.
4
Drain the beans and discard the soaking water.
5
Return the beans to the pot with the cooking water and the bay leaves.
6
Bring to the boil, skim off any foam, then simmer partly covered for 60 minutes.
7
Add the onions, carrots, red pepper and half the garlic, and simmer for 30 minutes more, until the beans are completely soft.
8
For the roux, warm the oil in a small pan over medium-low heat, stir in the flour and cook for 2–3 minutes until light golden.
9
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the remaining garlic, sweet paprika, smoked paprika and tomato paste; do not let the paprika burn.
10
Whisk a ladle of the bean cooking liquid into the roux until smooth, then stir it back into the pot.
11
Season with the salt and black pepper and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often, until thick.
12
Remove the bay leaves and stir in the vinegar if using.
13
Serve hot, sprinkled with the parsley.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a gluten-free stew, skip the flour roux and mash about a cup of the cooked beans back into the pot to thicken it, cooking the garlic, paprika and tomato paste briefly in the oil instead.
If you can't find dried borlotti beans, use dried pinto or kidney beans, adjusting the simmering time until they are completely soft. If you use kidney beans, boil them hard for at least 10 minutes before you turn the heat down to simmer.
To save time, use about 6 cups of drained canned borlotti or pinto beans and simmer them with the vegetables in less water for about 30 minutes.
Swap the sunflower oil for olive oil or another neutral vegetable oil if that's what you have.

Storage

Cool the stew and refrigerate it in a covered container within 2 hours, then eat it within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot and adding a splash of water if it has thickened. It also freezes well for about 3 months, so thaw it in the fridge before reheating.

Make ahead

Soak and cook the beans up to 3 days ahead and keep them chilled in their cooking liquid, or make the whole stew a day ahead, since it often tastes even better reheated. Add the parsley just before serving.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: GlutenSulphites

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (763 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	355 kcal	47 kcal
Protein	20.7 g	2.7 g
Carbohydrates	60.4 g	7.9 g
of which sugars	4 g	0.5 g
Fiber	23 g	3 g
Fat	4.7 g	0.6 g
of which saturated	0.7 g	0.1 g
Sodium	630 mg	83 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.