Packed with earthy flavors, texture rich Smoky White Bean Kale and Wheat Berry Stew is quick to pull together with a long, slow simmer. Serve with the crustiest, seediest sourdough for a super cozy meal. This recipe is vegetarian + vegan.
Hearty, warming and super cozy, wheat berry stew is comforting and flavor packed. Subtle smoky flavors with chewy texture and vibrant flavors, this is a perfect stew to warm up with.
Ingredients For Wheat Berry Stew
This stew calls for wheat berries. They have a chewy texture similar to barley. Find wheat berries on Amazon or in the bulk bins at a well stocked grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need to make this soup:
- Dry Cannellini Beans or Canned*
- Wheat Berries
- Olive Oil
- Leeks
- Celery
- Garlic
- Smoky Paprika
- Veggie Broth
- Thyme
- Kale
- Parsley
- Lemon
You’ll soak the beans (if using dry beans) and wheat berries overnight, so a bit of advance prep is needed.
How to Make Wheat Berry Stew
This stew is simple enough to make. With most of the cook time hands off, it’ll free you up for whipping up other things like a salad and/or dessert! If dry white beans are unavailable, canned can be subbed and added towards the end of cooking, just to warm through.
- First, heat oil on medium in a large soup pot or dutch oven to just shimmering. Add the leeks, carrots and celery and cook until softened.
- Second, stir in the garlic and paprika, then pour in the dry beans, wheat berries, broth, tomatoes and sprigs of thyme
- Next, bring the stew to a simmer, lid and cook on low for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes stirring a few times .
- Last, just a few minutes before the stew is finished, stir in the Kale and allow to wilt. Add a squeeze of lemon and cook for just a few minutes longer.
The soup’s ready when the beans and wheat berries are tender. Serve this wheat berry stew piping hot and with slabs of crusty bread for dippin’.
A Few Recipe Notes
- Most of the 1 hour 40 minutes to make this wheat berry stew is hands-off cooking time. Once the majority of the ingredients are added to the soup pot, it simmers away for about an hour and a half.
- To properly prepare dried beans and grains, they need to be soaked overnight. However, I’ve prepared this stew with and without soaking, because I forgot or didn’t plan (almost always :/ ) , and achieved similar results.
- If dried cannellini beans are unavailable, use canned, but add them towards the end of cooking when the kale is added.
- Wheat berries are a slightly sweet, nutty and chewy whole grain. I love them so much, they’ve become a pantry staple. They add an earthy depth and heartiness to this stew. There are several varieties including hard red and hard white. I use hard white because that’s what I can find in the bulk bins, but either can be used (according to their package directions). Use the rest of your bag of wheat berries to make this Summer Garbanzo Salad.
- This wheat berry stew thickens as it cooks, so if a thinner stew is desired, add more broth or water towards the end of cooking.
Other Hearty Stews/Soups to Enjoy
Smoky White Bean Kale and Wheat Berry Stew
Ingredients
- 1/2 C (125g) Dry Cannellini Beans*, soaked overnight and rinsed
- 1/2 C (110g) Wheat Berries** (Hard White), soaked overnight and rinsed
- 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 C (145g) Leeks, cut in half, lengthwise, and white and light green parts sliced thin (about 1 large)
- 1 C (110g) Carrots, large dice
- 1 C (65g) Celery, large dice
- 3 Large Cloves of Garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Smoky Paprika
- 5 C (1.05kg) Vegetable Broth, plus extra for thinning as needed (or water)
- 1 Can (411g) Diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 4 Sprigs of Thyme
- 2 C (50g) Kale (I like Lacinato kale) or Swiss Chard, chopped
- 1/4 C (6g) Parsley, chopped
- 1 Lemon
Instructions
- Heat oil on medium in a large soup pot or dutch oven to just shimmering. Add the leeks, carrots and celery and cook on medium-low stirring occasionally for 6-7 minutes or until softened. Stir in the garlic and paprika, just enough to coat the vegetables. Pour in the beans, wheat berries, broth, tomatoes and sprigs of thyme (the leaves will fall off during cooking and you'll fish out the stems later). Bring the stew to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and simmer with the lid on for 1 hour and 20-30 minutes stirring a few times and checking to see if more broth (or water) is needed as the stew will thicken towards the end of cooking. Adjust as needed with broth or water. The soup is ready when the beans are tender and the wheat berries are tender yet still chewy.
- Five minutes before removing the stew from the heat, stir in the kale. It will wilt down slightly. Just before serving, stir in the parsley and juice of 1/2 a lemon. Season with plenty of pepper and salt to taste. Serve with more parsley and lemon wedges.
- Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two weeks. Thaw in the fridge overnight and gently reheat on the stove.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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Could this be made in a slow cooker?
Hi Ellen! I don’t see why not. But since I’ve not tried it, I’m not sure about the specifics. If you experiment, please let us know how it goes!
This is such a simple soup with great flavour! I used my instant pot to sauté and cook. Thank you!!! I will definitely be making this again!
Thank you for your note Teresa! Thank you for your tip about the IP! Super happy to hear.
I absolutely LOVE this soup! I just made it to bring to a friend recovering from surgery. It is the perfect healthy comfort food! I serve it with freshly grated parmesan and crusty bread.
Hii Elizabeth! Thank you for your note and rating! So happy to hear you’re enjoying the soup and yes to a nourishing soup for recovery. But oh my that parma and crusty bread – a must!
And almost a year later, I made this soup. I got tired of my not making soup because my kids don’t like it. It’s more efficient to make one dinner that everyone will eat. Tonight, they will get the choice of soup or leftover pizza. I know which one they will choose. I know which one I will choose too. Thanks for a yummy recipe.
Hi Foy! Thank you for your note and trying the recipe! I’d get tired too… and then I’d make soup! So happy you’re enjoying this hearty stew. Remember, it freezes easily too, so for those nights ahead when leftover pizza will be a choice, you can slide this right out of the freezer :) .
PLEASE tell me where you found that fabulous looking bread! We have combed the planet in search for bread like that. So far, Sweden wins. Just cant find bread like that in the U.S.!
We love wheat berries–trying this recipe tonight!
Hi Elaine! I lol when I read your note! So this seedy loaf came from a local baker, Screaming Banshee on Whidbey Island! Her loaves are over the top crusty and this one is chock full of seeds! We’ve one other sourdough baker on the island that I buy from too, when I’m not baking my own. I hope you enjoyed the stew… with some over the top crusty bread! :D
do you think you could use kamut instead of the wheat berries? both are chewy once cooked
Hey Charity! If you use kamut, be sure to adjust the cooking time so that the kamut cooks for about 30-40 minutes if pre-soaked (45-50 minutes if not soaked). I hope this helps.