One-Pot Bean and Tomato Stew With Cod

By Kay Chun

Published June 4, 2025

  • Ghazalle Badiozamani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
50 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Rating
5(245)
Comments
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This hearty white bean stew comes together super-quickly thanks to canned beans, a true pantry hero. Onion, carrots and sweet bell peppers sizzle in olive oil with garlic and anchovies to start the rich sauce. Evanescent but memorable, the anchovies disappear as they cook but lend their prized saltiness and savory depth. There’s a double dose of tomatoes from the use of tomato paste, which cooks until caramelized, and fresh sweet cherry tomatoes. Cod fillets are added on top of the thickened stew and steam gently until flaky and juicy. The meal comes together in one pot; it’s low-effort but full of layered flavor.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

  • 1 small yellow bell pepper, cored and chopped into ¼-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

  • ½ cup finely chopped white onion

  • ½ cup finely chopped carrot

  • Salt and pepper

  • 3 anchovy fillets

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 12 ounces cherry or grape tomatoes, halved (2 cups)

  • 2 (14-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed 

  • 1 large oregano sprig

  • 4 (5- to 6-ounce) skinless center-cut cod fillets

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

  • Crusty bread, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

62 grams carbs; 77 milligrams cholesterol; 573 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 16 grams fat; 13 grams fiber; 1302 milligrams sodium; 47 grams protein; 6 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add bell pepper, onion and carrot, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Add anchovies and garlic and cook, stirring and mashing the anchovies, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomato paste; cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the tomatoes and cook, mashing the tomatoes until they break down into a thick sauce, about 5 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Add beans, oregano sprig and 1 ½ cups water, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened, 10 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Season cod with salt and arrange on top in a single layer. Cover and cook just until fish is opaque throughout and flakes easily with a fork, about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.

  6. Step 6

    Transfer fish to 4 shallow bowls. Discard oregano sprig, then stir butter and parsley into the bean mixture and season with salt and pepper. Spoon some of the bean mixture next to the cod and garnish with more parsley and black pepper.

  7. Step 7

    Drizzle with olive oil and serve warm, with crusty bread.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
245 user ratings
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Comments

Richard X

The cod will not swim away without whole anchovies in the mix. Anchovy paste is fine.

Anna Fox

Anchovies are the unsung,quiet, heroes of the kitchen. Yum!

h

@Michael Napa. Another option: open that jar or tin of anchovy paste. If a tin, put remainder in a glass container. make sure the little fish are covered with olive oil. Refrigerate. Last a very, very long time!

Sully

Lovely dish. Before step 4, I blended some of mixture - would recommend.

Beth j

Had some cod I wanted to cook but did not have a plan, and it was time for dinner. Found this recipe and amazingly had the ingredients on hand (Great Northern beans had to do, and the pepper was red). Halved the recipe for two of us and had some left over sauce. Easy, quick and delicious. A keeper for sure.

Christopher

Added some sautéed prosciutto at the end. Nice addition to a very forgiving recipe

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