Roasted Tomato and Bean Stew

Josh and I have been watching a lot of “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy” and I’ve been so inspired by their way of cooking. They use minimal ingredients in their dishes, but they use the best and freshest ingredients they can find. While we don’t have the same tomatoes they do, we do the best we can with what we’ve got here in Michigan (especially in the winter time). In this recipe, I brought out the flavor of the cherry tomatoes by roasting them at high heat. This allowed them to release their juices and gave them a slight char for some smokiness. Combined with the creamy butter beans, nutty goat cheese and bright citrus – this dish is a treat for your taste buds. I highly recommend toasting your bread in the oven on the same sheet pan that you use for roasting the tomatoes so that the bread can soak up all that delicious tomato flavor (toast the bread at 425 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until nicely golden brown and crisp).

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil plus the fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add roasted tomatoes (and any pan juices) along with the beans and broth and simmer (uncovered) for 15 minutes to allow the stew to reduce slightly.

3. Finish the stew with lemon zest, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Ladle stew into bowls and garnish with goat cheese. Serve with toasted bread for dipping.

Roasted Tomato and Bean Stew

Serves 4

All you need:

2 (10-ounce) containers cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 small yellow onion, diced

3 peeled garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 (15-ounce) cans butter beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Crumbled goat cheese, for garnish

Toasted baguette slices, for serving

All you do:

1. Preheat oven to 450. Place tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with 1/4 cup olive oil plus the fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes (and any pan juices) along with the beans and broth and simmer (uncovered) for 15 minutes to allow the stew to reduce slightly.
3. Finish the stew with lemon zest, lemon juice and fresh parsley. Ladle the stew into bowls and garnish with goat cheese. Serve with toasted bread for dipping.