Smoky White Bean, Squash & Carrot Stew

YKGrub · Sept 2026 · Serves 3 · ~40 min · High fibre, vegan, one pot

Everything fibrous in the kitchen in one pot: beans, squash, carrots and a handful of greens wilted in at the end. The tofu is seared separately and spooned on top so it stays crisp instead of going soft in the broth.

Ingredients

The stew

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion diced, 3 carrots in coins, 3 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 bay leaf
1 can chopped tomatoes, or 3 fresh diced
Half a butternut squash (~2 cups), ¾-inch cubes — or a sweet potato, or one of each
2 cans white beans, drained (~3 cups cooked)
3 cups vegetable stock or water
Salt, black pepper
2 big handfuls arugula, juice of ½ lemon

The tofu

1 block firm tofu, pressed 15 min and cubed · 1 tbsp cornstarch · 1 tbsp oil · salt

Method

1. Base

Onion and carrots in the oil over medium, 6–7 min, until the onion softens and the carrots take a little colour. Garlic 30 seconds, then smoked paprika, cumin and bay for another 30.

Bloom the spices in the oil before any liquid goes in. Skip it and the stew tastes dusty rather than smoky.

2. Tomatoes

In, and cooked down 3 min until they darken and stop smelling raw.

3. Simmer

Squash, beans and stock. Uncovered, 20–25 min, until the squash is tender and the broth has tightened.

4. Baby’s portion out

Now, before the salt and lemon — squash, carrot and beans, mashable and mild.

5. Thicken

Mash some of the squash and beans against the side of the pot. That is what turns soup into stew. Do not blend it.

6. Tofu, in a separate pan

Tossed in cornstarch and a pinch of salt, seared over medium-high, undisturbed 2–3 min a side, until golden on several faces.

Keep the tofu out of the pot. Simmered, it goes spongy and disappears; seared and spooned over, it is the texture the dish is missing.

7. Finish

Off the heat, arugula stirred through until it just wilts. Lemon, salt, plenty of black pepper. Tofu over the top in the bowl.

Instant Pot version ~25 min, mostly unattended

Same dish, fewer decisions. The only real differences are less liquid and a short cook, because nothing evaporates under pressure and squash dissolves if you give it too long.

1. Sauté mode

Oil, onion and carrots 6 min. Garlic 30 seconds, then smoked paprika, cumin and bay 30 seconds. Tomatoes in for 1 minute.

Scrape the bottom of the pot properly before the lid goes on. Anything stuck there is what triggers a BURN warning as it comes up to pressure.

2. Fill

Squash, beans and 2½ cups stock, not 3 — under pressure nothing boils off.

3. Cook

Cancel Sauté. Lid on, High Pressure 5 minutes, quick release. Longer and the squash turns to purée.

4. Finish

Baby’s portion out before salt and lemon. Mash some squash and beans against the side, season, lemon, arugula off the heat. Tofu seared in a pan while it cooks, or air-fried 12 min at 400°F, spooned over at the table.

Thin when you open it? Sauté mode uncovered for 3–4 minutes — that is the evaporation the stovetop version gets for free.

Notes

Fibre: the beans carry most of it, around 12 g a serving, with squash, carrots and greens adding another 6 to 8
Baby portion: step 4, before salt and lemon. No tofu crust for her — the cornstarch sear is salty and hard
Potatoes work for half the squash. Sweet potato makes it sweeter and thicker, regular potato keeps it savoury
Beans and squash are the starch, so no bread or rice needed. A cucumber salad alongside is the right counterpoint
Keeps 4 days, freezes 3 months — but freeze it before the arugula. Sear the tofu fresh each time