Polish Butter Bean Stew (Fasolka po Bretońsku)

Polish butter bean stew is made with tender butter/lima beans, smoked sausage and pork belly cooked in a rich tomato sauce with herbs and spices. It is a simple, hearty, delicious dish perfect to make ahead and serve as a family meal or party dish.

This traditional Polish butter bean stew with smoked Polish sausage (kiełbasa) and tomato sauce is called 'fasolka po bretońsku' (pron. 'fah-SOHL-kah poh breh-TON'-skoo'). It became popular in the 20^th century when easily available, inexpensive ingredients defined post-war Polish cuisine. This dish is similar to (and likely gets its name from) a traditional vegetarian French bean and tomato stew called haricots blancs à la bretonne. The addition of smoked meat in the Polish version of beans à la bretonne creates an extra layer of flavour and produces a hearty, satisfying meal.

My version of traditional Polish lima bean stew is quick, easy and doesn't require soaking the beans overnight (although if you prefer the 'longer' method see my tips on how to do this at the bottom of the post). It involves browning smoked kiełbasa and pork belly, sauteing the onion then assembling the dish and simmering it for about 35 minutes. Simple to make, healthy and delicious!

A similar stew made with Polish kiełbasa you might also like is letcho.

Polish butter bean stew ingredients and substitutions

• Beans: traditional beans used in this dish are butter/lima beans. They pair well with hearty ingredients, such as kiełbasa, and I don't recommend using a smaller white bean variety (for example, delicate haricot beans work better in dishes such as baked beans).
• Kiełbasa: I recommend using authentic Polish smoked kiełbasa sausage that's not too dry or fatty (good options include 'podwawelska, mazurska or śląska).
• Pork belly: I am using smoked, cooked rolled pork belly side (see photo above), but you can use another, similar product, as well as smoked ribs. You can also omit this ingredient and use more kiełbasa, instead.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Tomatoes: I used a combination of passata and tomato paste, but you can use canned tomatoes, instead.
• Water.
• Herbs and spices: theseinclude bay leaf and allspice berries (used in many traditional Polish dishes), marjoram, herbes de Provence, and paprika (either mild or hot).
• Oil: use any.
• Salt and pepper: add to taste.

How to prepare the beans

I used canned butter beans for convenience, but you can cook beans from scratch, if you prefer (use about 1 and ¼ cups/230g dried beans). For the latter method soak the dried beans overnight, drain and add fresh water then cover and simmer for about 1.5 hours or until the beans are fully cooked and tender. Don't drain the beans and follow the instructions omitting adding any more water.

If using canned beans, as I have done, drain then rinse them before making the recipe. I find that the canned bean water can make this butter bean stew with sausage a little too thick which is why I prefer to rinse the beans and add fresh water. If, however, you would like to use the entire contents of the can you may need to add a little water to loosen the consistency, as well as more passata or tomato paste (do this once the stew is cooked).

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1. Prepare beans: Rinse the beans under cold water and set aside.

2. Brown meats: To a large non-stick pan add the oil, cubed kiełbasa and pork belly and fry over a medium heat for several minutes until lightly browned stirring often (be careful not to brown these too much). Transfer to a bowl leaving the fat in the pan.

3. Cook onion: To the same pan add the onion, bay leaf and allspice berries and cook gently for about 5 minutes until softened stirring often. After about 4 minutes add the garlic.

4. Assemble: To a medium sized pot add the beans, meats and onion mixture. Next add the water, passata, tomato paste, herbs, paprika, salt and pepper.

5. Cook: Cover and bring to the boil then simmer gently for about 35 minutes stirring occasionally (make sure the mixture doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan). Remove from the heat, adjust the flavour or add a little more water, if needed, then serve.

Serving suggestions

Polish beans in tomato sauce are traditionally served as a main meal and can be accompanied by bread, mashed potatoes or, less often, cooked barley, buckwheat, or other types of kasha. They are delicious on their own, too!

How to make it vegetarian

This stew with butter beans can be easily turned into a delicious vegetarian meal by omitting the kiełbasa and pork belly and increasing the amount of spices and herbs. Consider adding smoked paprika instead of regular, as well as using other flavours. A popular ingredient used in this type of dish in Poland is 'pieprz ziołowy', which is a mixture of aromatic spices (a great alternative to intensely savoury kiełbasa). Others include 'lubczyk' (lovage) and 'cząber' (savory).

Top tips

• The tomato sauce in this dish is quite thick, but you can adjust the consistency by adding more water or passata (you may also need to add more spices and seasoning).
• The canned beans I used weighed 14.11oz/400g each. If you use larger cans increase the amounts of water, passata and herbs (you can adjust this once the dish is cooked to ensure you don't add too much).
• Polish butter beans with kiełbasa taste just as delicious the next day and can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The mixture will thicken over time so you may need to add a little water when reheating it.
• Freeze for up to 3 months.

Related recipes to try next

• Polish Root Vegetable Stew with Beans
• Polish Sauerkraut Bigos Stew
• Healthy Kiełbasa Pasta

See also these other delicious, traditional Polish recipes!

Recipe

Keep in touch!

If you make this easy butter bean stew recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. How did you serve it? Let me know in the comments below, thanks:)

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