Kuru fasulye (Turkish white bean stew with beef)
80 min · 33 g protein · 493 cals / serving
Creamy white beans slowly stewed with tender cubes of beef, onion, green peppers and a rich, brick-red sauce of tomato and pepper paste with a warm hint of chilli. It is the beloved lunch of every Turkish home and lokanta, served with nutty bulgur pilaf and a crunchy shepherd's salad of tomato, cucumber, pepper and parsley.
Ingredients
Beans
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 9 oz top sirloin steak, in small cubes
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, green, chopped
- 1 green chili pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp paprika, or 1 tbsp Turkish pepper paste
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, Aleppo or Urfa if you have it
- 1 large tomato, grated, skin discarded
- 2 cans (15 oz each) plus a little, drained (600 g) cannellini beans, white beans
- 2 1/2 cups beef broth
- 3/4 tsp salt
Bulgur pilaf
- 1/2 cup bulgur, coarse
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2/3 cup chicken broth
Shepherd's salad
- 3 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 1/2 large cucumbers, diced
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 4 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
Steps
- Heat the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the beef 4–5 minutes. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the green pepper, chilli and garlic for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomato paste, paprika and pepper flakes and cook 1 minute until the paste darkens.
- Add the grated tomato, beans, broth and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer gently 40–45 minutes, until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened and turned glossy. Crush a few beans against the side of the pot to thicken it more.
- For the pilaf, toast the bulgur in the oil for 2 minutes, add the hot broth, cover and cook on low 12 minutes. Leave covered off the heat 10 minutes, then fluff.
- Toss the tomato, cucumber, red onion and parsley with the lemon juice, oil and a pinch of salt. Serve the beans with the pilaf and the salad.
Good to know
Dried beans instead of canned?
Soak 1 cup dried white beans overnight, simmer them 45–60 minutes until tender and drain before adding. That is how most Turkish cooks make it.
Without meat?
Zeytinyağlı kuru fasulye, the olive-oil version, is just as classic. Leave out the beef, use vegetable broth and add an extra tablespoon of olive oil.
Make ahead?
Like most bean stews it is even better the next day. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes well.
Per
- Calories
- 66
- Protein
- (28%)
- 4 g
- Fat
- (23%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (49%)
- 9 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 187 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1970 kcal goes into the pot and 3233 g of ingredients comes out as about 3000 g of food: 66 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.