WARMING LIMA BEAN & CABBAGE STEW

A cosy and gently spicy stew that comes together in under 30 minutes. Made with coconut milk, cherry tomatoes and warming spices, it’s the perfect cold-weather meal (and tastes even better the next day).

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Side angle of the pot filled with the creamy tomato-coconut bean stew, with toasted bread tucked inside.

Hello, dear readers. Rita here. I’m writing to you from home today, on a very dark and gloomy late afternoon courtesy of storm Cláudia. Even though this recipe has been written and photographed for well over a week now, it feels appropriate to put the finishing touches on it while an unprecedented downpour hits outside and the temperatures sit far lower than they did just a few days ago.

This Warming Lima Bean & Savoy Cabbage Stew ticks many boxes as a contender to the season's favourite dish. It’s easy to make, comes together in under half an hour and is wonderfully comforting. The bonus? It’s just spicy enough, the kind of spice that doesn’t drown out other flavours and warms you from the inside out. The kind of spice that used to make my mum say, “my eyelids are sweating already.”

I suppose adding cherry tomatoes to a winter recipe is something of a sacrilege, but these days we conveniently have them on hand year-round. These tiny tomatoes cook quickly and keep some of their shape even at high temperatures. They add an extra layer of flavour and texture to this tomato and coconut combination we reach for so often. It might seem unusual, but the natural sweetness and fat content of coconut milk are the perfect way to round out the acidity of a tomato-based sauce.

And like many of the recipes we share around here, this stew is even better the next day. The flavours settle, the cabbage softens, and the broth gains that depth only an overnight rest in the fridge can bring. It’s one of those dishes you make already thinking about lunch the next day. What a joy it is to have a meal ready to go with zero effort!

Serve it with some generous slices of bread (we fried ours in a drizzle of olive oil!) and let it warm you like a cozy embrace. If you make it, tell us all about it. We love seeing your versions!

Overhead shot of all the stew ingredients laid out on a light surface, including cherry tomatoes, savoy cabbage, chopped onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, spices, beans, crushed tomatoes, coconut milk and white wine.

Close-up of the cooked white bean and savoy cabbage stew, with cherry tomatoes, cabbage, beans and a rich tomato-coconut broth.

Overhead view of the stew in a pot with visible beans, tomatoes and cabbage, served next to slices of toasted bread.

A hand dipping a slice of toasted bread into the pot of hot white bean and cabbage stew.

Close-up of the stew in a black bowl, showing the beans, cherry tomatoes, cabbage and a slice of toasted bread.

A hand dipping toasted bread into a bowl of creamy bean and tomato stew.

Warming Lima Bean & Cabbage Stew

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4–6 portions

25 minutes

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4–6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5–6 pieces of sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
250 g cherry tomatoes (about 1 ½ cups)
1 heaping teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon ground chilli (or crushed chilli flakes)
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
⅓ cup white wine
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can coconut milk
2 small cans lima beans (or white beans)
⅙ savoy cabbage, roughly sliced (or a different kind of cabbage or kale)

Instructions

Start by gathering, preparing and measuring all of the ingredients. This will improve your dynamic in the kitchen.

Coat the bottom of a wide pot with olive oil and let it heat over medium–high heat.
Add the onion, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, and sauté until the onion turns translucent.
Add the whole cherry tomatoes and fry over high heat until their skins begin to blister and the onion takes on a light caramel colour.
Add the sweet paprika, chilli, Herbes de Provence and salt, stirring well to combine and lightly toast the spices.
Stir in the tomato paste, white wine and rosemary sprig, mixing until you get a thick sauce. Cook over high heat for one minute so the alcohol can evaporate.
Add the crushed tomatoes, coconut milk and beans, stirring to bring the sauce together.
Scatter the savoy cabbage over the top of the stew and cover the pot. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, with the lid on.
Uncover, stir well to fold in the now-softened cabbage, and cook for another 15 minutes.
Serve the stew with slices of bread pan-fried with a light drizzle of olive oil.