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Justine Doiron

just real good food

Beans + Grains + Bowls, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Recipes, Special Diets, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Proteins · November 8, 2023

Paprika Beans & Buckwheat

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finished Paprika Beans & Buckwheat

This recipe for Paprika Beans & Buckwheat started as all good recipes do– with a strong desire to zhuzh up my regular pot of brothy beans. About every two weeks I like to make a huge vat of dried beans. Think your Rancho Gordo favorites, soaked overnight and then simmered slowly in aromatics. Normally I don’t stray from the same formula: beans, bay leaf, olive oil, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary, sage and a parmesan rind if I’m lucky. Cover that with water and you’re golden. And the broth always comes out so good. I attribute that to over an hour of simmering, so I thought: what would happen if I used that same simmer time but swapped in some new ingredients to the formula? The goal was spicy, smokey and rich, which calls for paprika, even more red pepper flakes and tomato paste.

In this blog post, I’ll break down the anatomy of brothy beans, how to make a standard brothy bean, how to build and riff off of those, and then finally, these beans themselves. I know, I know, we are in for a lot of beans. But it’s my favorite affordable, easy, plant-based staple.

P.S. Did I mention this meal is plant-based and gluten-free all on its own? Weird flex, but I had to get it in there. Read on for more about these paprika beans, and how to make your own.

finished Paprika Beans & Buckwheat

Table of contents

  • Let’s talk a bit about brothy beans
  • Tips for making brothy beans
  • The changes in these paprika beans and buckwheat
  • The ingredients for these brothy beans
  • Starting this paprika beans recipe
  • Adding the squash and buckwheat to these brothy beans
  • Looking for similar recipes?
  • Watch the recipe here
butter beans soaking in water

Let’s talk a bit about brothy beans

I love canned beans as much as the next girl. I’ve found they can be incredibly flavorful and incredibly convenient. But there is something both flavorful, nutritious and deeply satisfying about cooking your beans from dry.

The first reason I love making dried beans: the broth is insane. If you are like me (ahem, pescatarian), then you don’t taste chicken broth or beef broth nearly enough, and it can be a bummer to miss out on that depth of flavor that stocks and broths can bring. But bean broth tastes almost as thick and rich as the best slow-simmered bone broth. The magic happens when the starchiness of the beans leeks out into the broth as it simmers, making it thicker and carrying through all that salty, aromatic flavor that we cook along with the beans. It’s bean magic.

The second reason I love making dried beans: they will feed you for days. This recipe serves ten, but it’s ten big, healthy portions. Beans just give like that. Whenever I make my big vat of beans, it’s because I want something comforting for the week, that I can just dip into, mix-and-match, pair and build on. You can do that with canned beans, but the yield only goes so far. So I keep cooked beans in my fridge. They’re my ready-whenever meal.

seasoned beans, onion, rosemary, tomatoes and garlic in pot

Tips for making brothy beans

Brothy beans have a formula. Soak your beans, season your beans, simmer your beans and enjoy. When I started my brothy bean journey, there were a few things I wish I had known:

  • The amount of time you soak your beans matters, like really matters. You can cook beans that have only been soaked a few hours, the thing is, you’ll need up to three hours to really get them cooked. And when you soak beans for 24 hours (let’s be honest, I sometimes flex up to 36), then you can have cooked beans in under 45 minutes. This also depends a ton on the size of your beans, and how old they are. Larger beans will take longer, and older beans will take longer. So even though dried beans are shelf-stable, I always try to use them within six months of purchase.
  • You can freeze soaked beans! Okay, so you soaked your beans, but it’s the next day and you just don’t have time to cook them. Don’t worry about that, at all. Just drain your beans and freeze them! Once they are soaked, you can begin cooking them whenever, and the frozen beans will behave just the same. They can keep in your freezer for up to 3 months.
  • You can make beans just as beans, or turn them into something else entirely. Like this recipe! We turn beans into a stew here, which is like taking a classic brothy bean recipe up a step. You start riffing on your beans 20 minutes before they are done, and that can mean adding vegetables, pasta, grains, etc. to bulk them up. I don’t always do this, but it’s a great way to make a ton of food in an affordable way.
acorn squash, halved and deseeded

The changes in these paprika beans and buckwheat

Like we talked about above, this takes a classic bean formula and adds sun-dried tomatoes, paprika, squash and buckwheat to turn it into a recipe all on its own. This recipe is smokey, rich and savory, making it one of the most comforting bean recipes that I’ve made to date. The squash adds a bit of nuttiness to the broth, while the sun-dried tomatoes balance it with slight acidity and depth of flavor. Plus, the buckwheat adds the perfect texture to this broth and makes it even more filling. This recipe is just so perfect for a night in after a long, cold day.

brothy beans in pot

The ingredients for these brothy beans

This recipe comes together in one pot (other than soaking the beans beforehand!) and will make your house smell amazing. The simmer time is important here because it allows all of those rich flavors to meld together, resulting in the most flavorful, addicting broth. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:

  • 1 pound bag of dried beans of choice, I like large lima beans
  • 1 (7-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 medium red onion, peeled and quartered
  • 1 medium garlic head, halved
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium acorn squash, cored and cubed into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups buckwheat
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, for serving
uncooked buckwheat

Starting this paprika beans recipe

This is the kind of recipe that doesn’t need a whole lot of attention because the ingredients do all the heavy lifting for you. It’s one of the simplest ways to get an incredible bowl of comfort.

  • Add the beans to the large dutch oven or pot. Cover with at least two inches of water (if you don’t have enough room to cover by two inches, you’ll need a bigger pot). Soak the beans for at least six hours, up to 24.
  • When the beans are finished soaking, drain them and empty the pot.
  • Set the pot over medium heat. Pour in all the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, but don’t add the tomatoes. Add in the tomato paste, red pepper flakes, paprika, and a tablespoon of kosher salt. Stir into a paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the tomato paste is a shade darker.
  • Add the beans back into the pot. Stir to coat them in the tomato paste. Add the onion, garlic, and rosemary on top. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes. Crack in a liberal amount of black pepper. Pour in 10 cups of water. Bring this to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until the beans begin to look finished.
brothy beans in pot with buckwheat

Adding the squash and buckwheat to these brothy beans

By the time beans have simmered for about 45 minutes, it’s time to add the squash, then the buckwheat. This is what brings this recipe up a notch! The squash and buckwheat pull this whole dish together.

  • When the beans taste almost finished, but still have a touch of bite to them, add in the squash. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
  • Remove the rosemary sprig, garlic halves and any undesirable onion pieces. Add in the buckwheat. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, or until the buckwheat tastes finished.
  • Taste the broth and add up to an additional tablespoon of salt to taste.
  • This will make ten servings, so portion as you need it! Top with chopped fresh parsley as garnish.
finished Paprika Beans & Buckwheat

Looking for similar recipes?

If you love beans, you’ve come to the right place!

Honeynut Squash Brothy Beans
Half brothy beans, half hearty vegetable stew – this soup is an easy to make, slightly spicy, highly comforting soup that truly is the whole meal.
Check out this recipe
White Wine Beans with Sage & Sweet Potato
These beans are rich and complex, but so comforting. Roasty sweet potato mingles with crispy sage, all on top of white wine beans that simmer into a brothy bean of sorts, just a tad creamier. The recipe is finished quickly, but the results will feel like you took hours to build layers of flavor.
Check out this recipe
Beans a Limone
This recipe is another take on pasta sauce on beans, but wow is it simple and delicious. It is a rich, filling meal that absolutely makes me feel cozy and comfortable. Plus, you can easily use vegan subs for it. And of course, if you want to add pasta to the mix, that wouldn't be bad at all, either.
Check out this recipe

And that’s everything for these Paprika Beans & Buckwheat!

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 <3

Watch the recipe here

The video may not fully represent the recipe. For best results, follow the instructions as written.

Paprika Beans & Buckwheat

5 from 1 vote
These beans with paprika, sun-dried tomatoes and squash are deeply smoky, bright red and a filled with flavor. It's one of my favorite naturally plant-based and gluten-free stews, and all you have to do is chop, combine and simmer.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time:1 day d
Cook Time:2 hours hrs
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American, Fusion
Keyword: buckwheat, paprika, soup, stew, sun dried tomatoes
Servings: 10 servings

Equipment

  • 1 large pot or dutch oven

Ingredients

  • 1 pound bag of dried beans of choice I like large lima beans
  • 1 (7-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
  • 1/3 cup tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 medium red onion peeled and quartered
  • 1 medium garlic head halved
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium acorn squash cored and cubed into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups buckwheat
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley for serving

Instructions

  • Add the beans to the large dutch oven or pot. Cover with at least two inches of water (if you don't have enough room to cover by two inches, you'll need a bigger pot). Soak the beans for at least six hours, up to 24.
  • When the beans are finished soaking, drain them and empty the pot.
  • Set the pot over medium heat. Pour in all the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, but don't add the tomatoes. Add in the tomato paste, red pepper flakes, paprika, and a tablespoon of kosher salt. Stir into a paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the tomato paste is a shade darker.
  • Add the beans back into the pot. Stir to coat them in the tomato paste. Add the onion, garlic, and rosemary on top. Add in the sun-dried tomatoes. Crack in a liberal amount of black pepper. Pour in 10 cups of water. Bring this to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 40-45 minutes, or until the beans begin to look finished.
  • When the beans taste almost finished, but still have a touch of bite to them, add in the squash. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
  • Remove the rosemary sprig, garlic halves and any undesirable onion pieces. Add in the buckwheat. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes, or until the buckwheat tastes finished.
  • Taste the broth and add up to an additional tablespoon of salt to taste.
  • This will make ten servings, so portion as you need it! Top with chopped fresh parsley as garnish.

Posted In: Beans + Grains + Bowls, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Recipes, Special Diets, Vegan, Vegetarian, Vegetarian Proteins

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Katherine says

    November 9, 2023 at 1:14 am

    This looks great! Would you be able to freeze this?

  2. Irene says

    November 14, 2023 at 4:29 pm

    Hi Justine, what kind of buckwheat did you use in this recipe? Is raw ok or should it be toasted?

    • Justine says

      November 15, 2023 at 6:31 pm

      Hi Irene! Either works, but toasted will give you a nice, nutty flavor. I use what I have on hand, and the results turn out well either way!

  3. Katelyn says

    November 15, 2023 at 4:22 am

    5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was super easy! Decided not to add the bulger and had it with a slice of crusty Italian loaf. If I made it again, I think I might add some salt and pepper directly to the squash beforehand, as it felt a little bland when I had bites of it. The broth, however is INSANELY flavorful and delicious

    • Justine says

      November 15, 2023 at 6:30 pm

      So glad you liked it! And good note re: the squash, that will definitely help pump it up a bit if it wasn’t seasoned to your liking 🙂

  4. JD says

    November 15, 2023 at 5:57 pm

    I made half a batch and it made 6 servings, and I couldn’t find buckwheat groats so I used quinoa. it was easy to make and looked beautiful as well. I froze some of it for later. I think next time I will double the quantity of sundried tomatoes as those were the best part!

    • Justine says

      November 15, 2023 at 6:33 pm

      So glad you liked it! And yes, I also TOTALLY am in agreement with the sundried tomatoes being the star in these!

  5. Beth says

    November 16, 2023 at 7:45 pm

    This is such a flavorful and easy recipe! I threw it together between meetings and my house smelled amazing. I think I will use the smaller lima beans next time and chunk the squash up a bit smaller. I saw the other comment about twice the tomatoes… agreed!! I also used quinoa which seemed to absorb more liquid so I will add less next time.

    It is simple, easy, and so full of flavor! Yum!! Thank you!!

  6. Marlene says

    November 21, 2023 at 10:40 pm

    Cooking on my stove-top right now and my house smells wonderful! I was planning on using 1/2 the recipe but used pretty much the regular amounts of everything except the beans (that I the soaked beans overnight). Very rarely used dried beans so I’m very excited for this dish! Thank you for all your wonderful recipe and your Instagram posts. You always inspire me and make me want to try new dishes!

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