Best Italian Stew Recipes

ITALIAN WHITE BEAN AND SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• Soak beans in cold water, 8 hours to overnight.
• Drain beans and set aside.
• Make a cut down the center of each sausage and peel off the casing. Transfer sausage into a dry soup pot over medium-high heat. Brown sausage, while breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Cook and stir until juices start to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan, creating a fond, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add onion and stir to coat in the rendered sausage fat. Cook until onion starts to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add white wine to deglaze the pot. Add black pepper, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and water.
• Add drained beans, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and continue to simmer until beans are tender, about 30 more minutes. Taste beans to be certain they are perfectly cooked.
• Smash about 1/4 of the beans with a potato masher to give the stew a creamy texture if desired. Stir in chopped kale, increase heat to medium, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
• Ladle hot soup into bowls, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

PASTA E CECI (ITALIAN PASTA AND CHICKPEA STEW)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not taking on any color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and red-pepper flakes, and cook 1 minute more. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the tomatoes and the chickpeas, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon or spatula and smashing about 1/2 cup of the beans.
• Add 3 cups water and bring to a boil over high. Add the pasta and simmer, stirring often to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. The water will mostly be absorbed by the pasta, but if you prefer it brothier, you can add 1/2 to 1 cup water and simmer until warmed through, 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the escarole and stir until wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

HOMEMADE ITALIAN SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, brown sausage; drain. Add the water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook over low heat for 1 hour or until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. , Add the ketchup, green pepper and parsley; cook 12-15 minutes longer or until pepper is tender. Discard bay leaf. , Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; gradually stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

ITALIAN VEAL STEW

Steps:

• 1. FOR THE STEW: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 300 degrees. 2. Season the veal generously with salt and pepper to taste. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over high heat until smoking. Add half of the veal and cook, stirring frequently, until it has released its juices and is lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer the veal to plate and set aside. Add another tablespoon oil to the pot and repeat with the remaining veal. Transfer the second batch of veal to the plate. 3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the now-empty pot and heat it over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook, scraping the pot bottom occasionally with a wooden spoon, until the onions are soft and lightly browned, 6 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 10 to 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for 20 seconds. Add the wine, scraping up any bits on the pot bottom, and simmer until thickened. Increase the heat to high and add the broth, stirring constantly and scraping the pan edges. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, and meat along with any accumulated juices on the plate, and bring to a simmer. Cover and place the pot in the oven. Cook for 1½ to 1¾ hours, until the veal is tender 4. FOR THE GREMOLATA: Combine the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley together in a small bowl and set aside. 5. Remove the pot from the oven and stir in the gremolata. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

NORTHERN ITALIAN BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef in batches in hot oil until browned completely, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove browned beef cubes to a plate lined with paper towels, keeping skillet over heat and retaining the beef drippings.
• Cook and stir onion, celery, and carrots in the retained beef drippings until just softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir mushrooms and garlic into the onion mixture.
• Pour red wine into the pan; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking the mixture until the wine evaporates, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir tomatoes into the mixture.
• Return beef to skillet with potatoes, basil, thyme, marjoram, and sage. Pour beef stock and tomato sauce over the mixture. Bring the liquid to a simmer.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer until the beef is very tender and the sauce is thick, 4 to 6 hours.

BONNIE'S ITALIAN STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• For the meatballs:
• Pour the milk over bread and soak to soften.
• Place the meat in a mixing bowl and add the cheese, EVOO, fennel, crushed red pepper, garlic, egg, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and crumble into crumbs as you add it to the meat. Combine the meatball mix and roll into 2-inch balls. Place the meatballs on nonstick baking sheet sprayed with olive oil spray and roast until browned but not fully cooked, 10 to 12 minutes.
• For the stew:
• Meanwhile, heat the EVOO in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic, onions and bay, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and stir until fragrant. Add the beef stock and tomatoes, then break up the tomatoes with a potato masher. Add the basil, potatoes and meatballs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat back to medium, partially cover and cook 10 minutes. Add the green beans and cook 7 to 8 minutes more.
• Serve, or cool completely and store for make-ahead meal. Reheat over a medium-low flame, partially covered, stirring occasionally (or reheat in a 325 degree F oven) until sauce is bubbly.
• To serve, top shallow bowls of stew with cheese and an extra drizzle of EVOO.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Heat oil in a pan and fry sausages to brown lightly all over.
• Turn down heat and add onion, celery and garlic over gentle heat to soften but not brown.
• Pour over Cirio Chopped Tomatoes and bring to bubbling.
• Season, then turn down to simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add sage and bay leaves. Spoon in cannellini beans and stir.
• Season again and cook for another 5 minutes to heat beans.

ITALIAN VEGETABLE STEW (CIAMBOTTA)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a 7-to 8-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add onions, celery, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until pale golden, about 10 minutes. Add eggplant and water and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is slightly softened, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes with juice and bell peppers, then reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook green beans in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan of well-salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Add zucchini to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to bowl with green beans. Add potatoes to boiling water and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and add to beans and zucchini.
• Add boiled vegetables to stew and simmer, stirring, until all vegetables are very soft, about 15 minutes. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

ITALIAN CHICKEN AND BEAN STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook, until browned on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
• Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the onions are soft, about 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir until it coats the onions and is a shade darker, about 1 minute. Pour in the wine and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet. Add the broth, beans, tomatoes and oregano and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken in the skillet along with any juices from the plate. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken thighs to a platter. Stir the cheese into the bean mixture and season with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh oregano if using. Serve with the chicken and extra parmesan cheese for topping.

SLOW COOKER ITALIAN BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Whisk flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together in a shallow bowl. Add beef to seasoned flour and toss to evenly coat; shake off any excess flour.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook beef in hot oil until browned on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer beef to slow cooker; add carrots, onion, potatoes, celery, and garlic.
• Whisk red wine, beef broth, tomato paste, and rosemary together in a bowl until smooth; pour over beef and vegetables.
• Cook on Low until beef and vegetables are tender, 4 to 6 hours.

ITALIAN CUCUZZA STEW

Steps:

• Brown the ground beef in a skillet, drain and set aside.
• In a large dutch oven, add the olive oil and sauté the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic for about 4-5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
• Add the ground beef to the pot along with the can of whole tomatoes, add the cucuzza, and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered for around 45 minutes or until the squash is cooked.

ITALIAN-STYLE FISH STEW

Steps:

• Marinate the fish: Cut fish into 2-inch chunks and place in a medium bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add half the chopped thyme, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the lemon slices. Toss to coat and set aside for 30 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 8 hours).
• Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, stirring, 5 or 6 minutes.
• Add reserved thyme, minced garlic, saffron, red pepper flakes, fennel seed, bay leaf and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more. Add wine, tomatoes and stock or water and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust; the broth should be well seasoned. (This seasoned base may be prepared up to 1 day in advance, if desired.)
• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange fish, clams and lemon slices in the bottom of a 9-by-12-inch baking dish or a wide earthenware casserole of similar size. Ladle the broth over everything, cover and bake for 20 minutes, or until clams have opened and fish flakes easily.
• Toast the bread and rub each slice with garlic. Sprinkle parsley over the soup. Serve in low soup bowls, giving each guest some fish, clams, broth and garlic toast.

ITALIAN VEAL STEW

Steps:

• In a large sauce pan, brown veal cubes in olive oil over medium high heat.
• Reduce heat to medium and add parsley, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper.
• Saute until garlic is tender but not brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes.
• Simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Add potatoes and simmer for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

FAVORITE ITALIAN SAUSAGE STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain., Add tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and basil to sausage mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add zucchini. Cover and simmer 10 minutes., Combine broth and cornstarch until smooth; stir into stew. Simmer until vegetables are tender and stew is thickened, 5-10 minutes more. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

CIAMBOTTA (ITALIAN VEGETABLE STEW)

Steps:

• PESTATA: Process all ingredients in food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute, scraping sides as necessary. Set aside.
• STEW: Toss eggplant with 1½ teaspoons salt in a bowl. Line surface of large plate with double layer of coffee filters or some parchment and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Spread eggplant in even layer over coffee filters. Microwave eggplant, uncovered, until dry to touch and slightly shriveled, 8 to 12 minutes, tossing once halfway through to ensure that eggplant cooks evenly.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add eggplant, onion, and potatoes; cook, stirring frequently, until eggplant browns and surface of potatoes becomes translucent, about 2 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of pot; add 1 tablespoon oil and tomato paste to clearing. Cook paste, stirring frequently, until brown fond develops on bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups water and chopped tomatoes and juice, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and gently simmer until eggplant is completely broken down and potatoes are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over high heat until smoking. Add zucchini, bell peppers, and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are browned and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of skillet; add pestata and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir pestata into vegetables and transfer vegetables to bowl. Add remaining ¼ cup water to skillet off heat, scraping up browned bits.
• Remove pot from heat and stir reserved vegetables and water from skillet into vegetables in Dutch oven. Cover pot and let stand for 20 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Stir in basil and season with salt to taste; serve.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE ZUCCHINI STEW

Steps:

• Brown sausage, drain off fat.
• Add celery and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add all remaining ingredients and cook covered for 10 minutes more.
• Simmer for 30 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
• (If you use Italian sausage, the longer you cook it, the hotter it gets).

ITALIAN-STYLE BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, cook onion and garlic in olive oil for 5 mins until softened and turning golden. Tip in the beef strips, pepper, tomatoes and rosemary, then bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins until the meat is cooked through, adding some boiling water if needed. Stir through the olives and serve with mash or polenta.

ITALIAN BEEF OR VEAL STEW

Steps:

• In a 6 quart pot, brown the meat with the onions in oil.
• Add the mushrooms, and cook until the juices start to run.
• Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, garlic, wine and bay leaf to the pot and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the carrots, potatoes and just enough boiling water to cover the vegetables.
• Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about another 15-20 minutes, or until vegetables are almost tender.
• Add the green beans and a bit more boiling water if necessary to cover the green beans.
• Continue cooking over medium low heat until all vegetables are tender, about 10 more minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste, stir well.
• Serve with a good crusty bread.

ITALIAN BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, brown meat over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the water, tomato sauce, potato, carrot, onion, red pepper, soup mix, Italian seasoning and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. , Stir in peas; simmer 5-10 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

LENTIL STEW WITH ITALIAN TURKEY SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Combine 2 cups broth, onion, and celery in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
• At the same time, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry sausage links in the hot skillet. Pierce casings with a fork to allow juices to run out and cook in the bottom of the pan. Cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove to a plate to cool. Slice into thin slices.
• Deglaze the skillet with about 1/4 cup chicken broth. Add the pan drippings to the saucepan, along with any remaining chicken broth, lentils, tomato sauce, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
• Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes. If more liquid is needed, add water in small increments.
• Add sliced sausage, heat through, and serve.