Aubergine & Butter Bean Stew with Quinoa & Crispy Cavolo Nero

Aubergine & Butter Bean Stew with Quinoa & Crispy Cavolo Nero

All those crowd-pleasing Italian flavours make it into this stew: rich tomato, green olives, garlicky red pesto and gooey roasted aubergine. Fluffy quinoa is the perfect base, while crispy cavolo nero add a hit of green. Buon appetito!

1/3 daily fibre 4 of 5 a day Low sat fat

Serving size

Cook time: 30 mins
Cuisine: Italian
Food group: Vegan
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Cooking Instructions

The protein cooking time listed in this recipe has been updated.

As of December 2025, we’ve revised cooking times for all our proteins to reflect improved food safety guidance.

Check out the latest recommended times in our Cooking Guidelines.

Before you start

  • Preheat the oven to 240C / fan 220C / gas mark 9
  • Line a baking tray with parchment paper
  • Bring a medium saucepan filled with salted water to the boil
  • Pull out a large frying pan, a measuring jug & a sieve

Roast the aubergine

  • Dice the aubergine into 2cm chunks and place onto the lined baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp oil, sprinkle with the Italian herbs and season with salt and pepper
  • Roast for 20-25 mins, until soft and golden

Finish the prep

  • Meanwhile, finely chop the onion. Dice the peppers into 1cm chunks. Slice the olives. Drain and rinse the beans
  • Add the quinoa to the saucepan and boil for 13-14 mins, until cooked, then drain. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper

Simmer the stew

  • Heat the large frying pan with 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and pepper and cook for 4-5 mins, until softening
  • Add the garlic herb paste and cook for 1 min, then stir in the beans, olives, passata, red pesto, stock powder and 200ml water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10-12 mins, until reduced slightly

Final touches

  • Finely chop the parsley. Rinse the cavolo nero leaves, then strip from the stalks and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • In the last 5 mins of roasting, add the cavolo nero to one side of the baking tray, drizzle with 2 tsp oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for the remaining time, until crispy
  • Stir the roasted aubergine and half the parsley into the bean stew. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed

Plate up

  • Serve the bean stew into bowls, with the quinoa and cavolo nero alongside. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley to finish

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