For a taste of Spain, you’re going to want to make this Chorizo Stew! Full of butterbeans, red pepper, tomatoes, red wine and of course, chorizo, this stew recipe is rich and comforting. It can be ready in just under an hour or you could pop it in the slow cooker so it’s ready as soon as you get home from work, making it an easy weeknight dinner recipe. To accompany this chorizo and butterbean stew, all you really need is some crusty bread for mopping up the juices, and maybe a green salad if you’re feeling good.
Elizabeth Chloe is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
- Chorizo and Butterbean Stew Nutrition
- Spanish Chorizo and Butterbean Stew Ingredients
- Spanish Chorizo and Butterbean Stew FAQ
- Over On Instagram…
- Other Chorizo Recipes to Try…
- How to Make Chorizo and Butterbean Stew
This chorizo and butterbean stew recipe was created while I was on holiday in the North of Spain in 2017. I wanted to make something that utilised some of the incredible ingredients that were available to us, and lucky for me chorizo and red wine are in abundance there (you can see why I like Spain so much can’t you?). And with that, this stew was born!
Chorizo is pan-fried until it releases it’s garlicky, paprika-y oils into the pan. Then we’re cooking our onions, pepper and garlic in those flavoursome oils, before pouring in a good glug of Spanish red wine. Tinned tomatoes and stock make up the rest of the sauce as well as a few bay leaves for extra depth of flavour. The result is a deliciously rich, saucy stew that you’ll definitely want seconds of.
While this recipe is full of chorizo and red wine (does it really need anything else?!) it also contains lots of veggies and beans, making it not just hearty and filling, but super tasty as well. You could use it as a side to something like roast chicken, but with all of the above mentioned good stuff, it stands well on its own. You just need some crusty bread to mop up all those tomatoey, winey juices and maybe a green salad for a little extra crunch. Dinner sorted.
Chorizo and Butterbean Stew Nutrition
As chorizo is made from pork meat is it high in protein, the macronutrient essential for tissue growth and repair in the body. It’s also a great source of vitamins B1 and B12, which are required to help release energy from food in the body, and selenium, an important micronutrient that supports the health of our immune systems and reproductive systems and thyroid.
Chorizo is also high in fat, both saturated and unsaturated. Too much saturated fat in the diet can raise the amount of ‘bad’ cholesterol in the blood, which can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, unsaturated fats help protect the heart by increasing the amount of ‘good’ cholesterol in the blood while decreasing the ‘bad’ cholesterol.
Chorizo is also high in sodium (salt) which can cause raised blood pressure. When making this recipe, you likely won’t need to add in any additional salt to the recipe as the chorizo will season the stew itself. You should also be mindful of the type of stock you’re using and aim to use a low-sodium one if you can. All in all, chorizo should be enjoyed in moderation.
Butterbeans, also known as lima beans, are a healthy source of carbohydrates which provides us with the energy essential to support normal bodily functions. Butter beans are also a great source of plant-based protein, fibre, copper, a micronutrient important for the production of blood cells, and folate, essential for a healthy nervous system.
Bell peppers are a great source of healthy carbohydrates and fibre while also providing various vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, B6, K1, E and A, as well as potassium and folate.
The alcohol in this recipe, which comes from the addition of red wine, is reduced as it evaporates during the cooking process. Red wine also contains resveratrol, a plant compound with a variety of health benefits.
Spanish Chorizo and Butterbean Stew Ingredients
Chorizo – the star ingredient! Make sure to get Spanish chorizo, which is flavoured with garlic and paprika and then cured. Chorizo can be spicy or sweet, depending on which type of paprika is used. It’s up to you whether you would prefer to use the spicy (picante) version for a spicier stew or the sweet (dulce) version for a milder flavour.
Red pepper – red pepper provides sweetness to this stew, but if you’d prefer you can use any colour of pepper. Green peppers provide a more bitter flavour which also works well with the spices of the chorizo.
Red onion – red onions provide sweetness while also giving us an intense onion flavour. If you don’t have red onions replace it with a white onion or, at a push, a few shallots.
Garlic – if you don’t have fresh cloves of garlic you can replace it with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
Butter beans – butter beans have a lovely delicate flavour that compliments the red wine and chorizo well. If you don’t have butter beans you could also use cannellini beans or chickpeas.
I’ve used tinned beans as they are already cooked and are quick and easy to throw into this stew. If you can’t get tinned beans dried beans will work. You will need to soak them and cook them before adding them into the stew.
Red wine – Spanish red wines like Rioja are perfect for this recipe, but you could use any red wine you can get your hands on. I wouldn’t substitute the red wine in this for white or rose as they are sweeter and don’t provide the deep, rich flavours that you get from red.
Stock – I use chicken stock which provides a delicate, savoury flavour. You could also use vegetable stock. I wouldn’t use beef as it is much richer and deeper in flavour and may distract from some of the other flavours in this recipe.
Spanish Chorizo and Butterbean Stew FAQ
Spanish Chorizo is heavily seasoned, often with paprika and garlic, pork mince that is cured and smoked to develop its incredible flavours. Thinly slice it and add it to a charcuterie board or cook it into recipes to add tonnes of flavour. It can be quite high in fat and salt but thankfully you don’t need a huge amount to add a lot of flavour to a recipe. Spanish Chorizo differs from Mexican Chorizo, which in comparison is not cured and uses different seasonings to achieve flavour.
Yes! Cook the slices of chorizo in a pan to make them nice and crispy before adding it to the pot with the remaining ingredients. Cook for up to 8 hours on low or up to 4 hours on high. For the final hour you may need to remove the lid and cook on high to reduce the liquid and thicken the sauce.
Pop any leftover stew into an airtight container and keep it in the fridge. Use withing 3-4 days.
Leave the stew to cool completely at room temperature for no more than two hours. Once cooled, add the chorizo stew to an air tight container or freezer bag and put into the freezer. Use within 3 months.
To defrost the stew pop it into the fridge thaw – this can take up to 24 hours. Alternatively you can use the deforst setting of a microwave to thaw the chorizo stew.
To microwave: Add the stew to a microwave safe container and pop into the microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway through. Ensure the stew is steaming hot before eating. If it is not microwave for 1-2 more minutes.
To cook on the hob: Put the stew into a saucepan and place on a medium-high heat. Bring the stew to a simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Ensure that the stew is steaming hot all the way though before serving.
Over On Instagram…
Other Chorizo Recipes to Try…
- Easy Shakshuka Recipe with Chorizo and Kale
- Pan-Fried Sea Bass with Chorizo and Lentils
- Easy Chorizo Quesadilla with Summer Vegetables
- Chorizo, Avocado and Egg Toast
- Spanish Chicken and Rice Recipe with Chorizo from The Mediterranean Dish
How to Make Chorizo and Butterbean Stew
Let me know what you think of this recipe by leaving a rating and a comment!
You can also follow over on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter. Come and say hi and hashtag any recipe snaps with #elizabethchloerecipes.
For a weekly update of new recipes and blog posts, you can subscribe to the
Spanish Chorizo and Butterbean Stew
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stewing
- Cuisine: Spanish
Description
This Chorizo and Butter Bean Stew is a taste of Spain – full of chorizo, red wine, butter beans, tomatoes, red pepper and onion.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200g chorizo, sliced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 400g tin butter beans, liquid drained
- 300ml red wine
- 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 250mls stock
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt & pepper to taste
Serve with green salad and slices of crusty bread.
Instructions
- Heat the oil over a medium heat in a casserole pot or frying pan, then fry the chorizo in the pan for 3-5 minutes until it is crispy.
- Add the onion and red pepper to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes until the vegetables have taken on some colour and have softened.
- Add the garlic and butter beans and sauté for one minute.
- Pour the red wine into the dish, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half.
- Mix in the tinned tomatoes, stock and bay leaves and leave the dish to simmer on a medium-low heat for 25-30 minutes.
- When the stew has thickened, taste it and add salt and pepper as required.
- Serve the stew in bowls with salad and some slices of crusty bread to dunk. Enjoy!
Keywords: Chorizo Stew, Butterbean Stew, Spanish Recipes, Chorizo Recipes, Spanish Stew, Spanish Chorizo Stew, Chorizo and Butterbean Stew
Last Updated:
I can vouch for this stew being super yummy having been part of the northern Spain trip where it was invented! Would definitely be out buying the ingredients now if it were not such hot weather but have saved for those autumn evenings when you need something rich and warming !😁😁😁
Another amazing dish! Made it last night and just polished off the leftovers this evening! My girlfriend lauren, won’t be happy I got to it first!
★★★★★
Yaaaas! So glad you both enjoyed it 😊
We make this regularly for a hearty family dinner. Its delicious and so easy to make.
★★★★★
Yayyy I’m so glad you like it! Thank you!
Another delicious recipe. Great for those colder nights, my housemates always comment on how great this smells too. Plus what’s not to love about cooking with a bottle of red wine!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Luke ☺️
I understand it probably won’t be as nice, but do you think I could substitute the red wine for something else, .preferably non-alcohol?
★★★★★
Hi Bert, I can’t say I’ve tried it, but a quick google search suggested something like unsweetened red grape juice or cranberry juice with a splash of vinegar! I don’t think you’d need to use as much as stated in the recipe, just a splash to add depth of flavour, a little sweetness and a little acidity. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, let me know if this works!