The seasons are changing (I thought this day would never come) and that means my recipes are changing with it. There is no better transition than these Lemon Dill & Red Pepper Beans. These are cozy but still bright, healthy yet comforting, vegan and filling and made with care in one pot. They are the perfect meal to bring you into fall.
These beans utilize ingredients that shine best in September. The farmer’s markets are filled with peppers– hot, sweet, mild, you name it– and this recipe helps bring them to life. Add some aromatics, lemon and olive oil, and you have a simple dinner that is ready to be packed away for meal prep or enjoyed right away.
Plus what I love about this simple, vegan bean stew is that it feels so good to make. It’s like I’m simultaneously giving myself the gift of a great fall meal while taking care of my body’s needs. It’s like a warm, healthy hug in a bowl, and I hope you love it just as much as I do.
Table of contents
Ingredients you will need for these dilly beans
There are a decent amount of ingredients in this, but they all serve the purpose of building big flavor. Plus, they’re all pretty much pantry staples or easy to find in the store. Here is what you’ll need for this vegan stew:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion, diced finely
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated with a microplane
- 2 small aleppo peppers, or one small red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small fresno pepper, seeds removed, sliced
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 large lemon
- 1 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
- Salt & pepper as needed
- Red wine vinegar as needed
FOR SERVING
- 3 slices of multigrain bread
- 1/4 cup feta or plant-based feta
Tools I recommend you have for this fall stew recipe
The beauty of a one-pot recipe is that you don’t need many tools to go with it. For these lemon dill & red pepper beans, I recommend using the following:
- 1 microplane – if you aren’t on the microplane game yet, let me shed some light: they are so helpful. So good for grating your garlic, ginger, parmesan or really anything. A microplane helps grate things finely, making it so that the garlic in your recipes kind of “melts” into the flavor of the recipe, instead of standing out in big clumps or pieces. I am so team microplane, and I really recommend one for this bean stew recipe.
- 1 medium dutch oven – the beauty of these lemon dill beans is that they start and end in one pot. And there is no better pot than a dutch oven. I love either Le Crueset or Staub, but you can’t go wrong with either.
Tips and tricks when making these lemon dill beans
When making these beans there are a few tricks, but the biggest one is patience. This stew is all about slow cooking and truly enjoying the time you spend over the stove. Outside of making sure these beans simmer to perfection, here are my big tips:
- Embrace your knife work – The smaller the dice of the onion, the better the result of the stew. Same with the dill! You want these elements to melt in seamlessly with these beans, instead of standing out in big chunks. The small the pieces you can make, the more satisfying each bite will be.
- Make sure the onion is fully cooked down before adding in the other elements of the recipe – This is so that the onion “melts” into the beans, which will give you all the flavor and none of the unpleasant onion bite you might encounter in dilly bean recipes.
- Take the beans off the heat before adding the lemon and the dill – This helps them preserve a bit of their bright flavor. If you cook these into the beans, they will still taste delicious, but if you add them after the beans are done cooking, you get a more acidic and herbaceous flavor.
Looking for substitutes?
Here are a few substitutes if you can’t find some ingredients for these dilly beans:
- No fresno peppers? Try a pinch of red pepper flakes, a scoop of Calabrian chili paste or a few birds eye chilies (seeds removed of course!) You just want some heat to make this recipe work.
- No lemon? A strong white wine vinegar will work. You just want a big kick of acid to contrast with the richness of the beans.
- And lastly, no dill? I am so sorry, but PLEASE use dill on this one. I’ve tried it with other herbs and it just doesn’t hit the same. Trust me!
Looking for recipes similar to this vegan bean stew?
I have tons of comforting, plant-based recipes on the site! Here are a few that I absolutely love:
And that’s it for these Lemon Dill & Red Pepper Beans!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you.
Lemon Dill & Red Pepper Beans
Equipment
- 1 microplane
- 1 medium dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 small yellow onion diced finely
- 2 cloves of garlic grated with a microplane
- 2 small aleppo peppers or one small red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small fresno pepper seeds removed, sliced
- 1 (15-ounce) can of white beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 large lemon
- 1 cup fresh dill finely chopped
- Salt & pepper as needed
- Red wine vinegar as needed
For serving
- 3 slices of multigrain bread
- 1/4 cup feta or plant-based feta
Instructions
- Put a medium dutch oven on medium heat. Add in the olive oil and let it come to temperature for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the diced onion, it should sizzle when it hits the oil. Cook the onion for about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want it to soften but not brown, so lower the heat if you need to.
- Season with salt to taste and add about 1/2 cup of the vegetable stock. Let the onion simmer in this until it becomes soft and transluscent, another 3-4 minutes. You're aiming to almost melt the onion into the oil, so you get all of the flavor but not big onion chunks.
- When the broth has completely evaporated, add in the grated garlic and give it a quick stir. Then add in the sliced peppers and season again with salt as needed. Let these elements cook down for 1-2 minutes to let the peppers soften.
- Add in the beans and the rest of the vegetable stock. Season with more salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Let this simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat and add the juice from one lemon and the dill. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper and maybe a splash of red wine vinegar if you feel you need it.
- Serve in a bowl with a toasted slice of bread, a sprinkle of feta and a few cracks of black pepper!
Loved this recipe! I used a red bell pep and a poblano! The dill at the end made it so fresh and definitely can’t image it with any other herb. Will absolutely be adding to my regular rotation!
I’m so glad you loved it! And you called it – dill is so so so the best for this. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and review!
How do you cook your beans before you add them in this recipe? I’m eager to make it.
Hello! For the simplicity of the recipe, I used canned beans for this preparation! If you have dry navy beans, I suggest soaking them for 24 hours, then simmering them in this recipe for at least 30 minutes to soften them. I hope this helps!
Delish!!! so simple to make and so flavorful and fresh! Thank you Justine!
I’m so glad you made it! This one is one of my favorites so I’m glad you loved <3
So good & easy! Highly recommend 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to rate and review them! I’m so glad you liked the recipe <3
Made this for 10am breakfast because who’s says you can’t! It is incredibly delicious and wholesome, just the perfect recipe to transition season! Thank you for sharing!
Omg as a weekend breakfast this sounds IDEAL – I’m so glad you made it!
Absolutely incredible dish. Easy enough for a week night but as impressive as a weekend masterpiece!!! I added some small diced chicken breast during the onion/broth phase and it cooked in perfectly. Paired with some simple arugula salad and 🥹. Justine, ilysm, this was everything. Thank you
This comment gave me life – I’m so grateful you made it and even more grateful for your review! Appreciate you being here more than you know!!
LOVED this recipe!! So quick and FULL of flavor. I couldn’t find the peppers listed at our grocery so I used a couple spoons of TJ’s Bomba sauce and it was 👌🏻.
That sounds amazing – I’m so thrilled you liked it!
Made this tonight. Absolutely no leftovers (well a bit of soup left and I saved that so I can have it with some crusty bread tomorrow…that’s how good it is!!) It’s so refreshing.
This comment made me so happy – I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi!! I’m so excited to make this. Do you think leftovers would keep well in the freezer to be enjoyed later?
Absolutely! These are my absolute favorite for meal prep for that exact reason 🙂
I went to the farmer’s market and got one of each pepper there – from bell pepper to habanero and everything in between to make this dish – it is so so wonderful!! Thank you for the new recipe!
I’m so thrilled you made it! And I love how you diversified the peppers 🙂
I was in a total funk and made this last night followed by your bed time oats. Both recipes were so comforting and making them was such a nice way to spend the evening. Thankyou for everything you do!!
This comment means so much to me! I’m so glad you enjoyed both recipes – and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and review 🙂
This is the definition of comfort food. I had to make substitutions on the peppers, but it still turned out amazing. The addition of dill at the end is GENIUS. I can’t wait to make this again.
I love every recipe you make, so I have to ask: is there any possibility of a cookbook in the future?
Thank you so much for this comment! And not to spill too much tea – but I’m trying to sell a cookbook right now! Stay tuned for updates 🙂
This recipe is incredible – it actually made me fall in love with cooking after a bit of a funk. I’ve made this a couple times, only added lemon, dill, feta, and red wine vinegar to what I’ve served, and the rest keeps well for leftovers – rinse and repeat. Can’t speak for how’d it keep altogether, but I’m sure it’s fab
I’m so glad you liked it – thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, I appreciate it more than you know!