Italian Braised Fennel and Peppers with Cannellini Beans
Classic Italian flavors come together in this oil-free vegan recipe. Sweet bell peppers, fennel, and creamy cannellini beans make a hearty, plant-based stew.
- Medium
- Servings: 4
- Ready In: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups
Enjoy over Cauliflower Herb Mash, the Ultimate Vegan Smashed Potatoes, or Creamy Butternut Squash Italian Polenta for a satisfying, healthy dinner.
What is Braising?
Braising is a combination of two cooking techniques: Browning + Stewing. The first step of a braise is always to brown the ingredients. Browning, or caramelization, brings out the natural sugars for sweet flavor. The second step, stewing, helps mellow all of the flavors together. The ingredients create a flavorful broth.
The first step to braised is to brown the vegetables. This adds deep flavor, golden color, and subtle sweetness to the final recipe 
White cannellini beans soak up delicious Italian flavors in this braised recipe
How to make an Oil-Free, Plant-Based Vegan Braised Recipe
Traditionally, most of us think of meat when it comes to braising. Recipes like braised short ribs or braised chicken use this technique. The meat is browned on the outside at high heat. Then, it is stewed in broth at low heat for a long time.
While delicious, traditional braised meat dishes are often full of fat, cholesterol, and salt. However, you can apply the same technique to plant-based vegan ingredients. This will give you a healthier braise, with cleaner flavor.
To brown without oil, you want a dry, hot pan. Cast Iron or Stainless Steel work really well for this. Also, stir often to prevent the vegetables from sticking or burning.
Once the veggies are brown, you then add liquid (usually broth or water) to stew. You want to stew at a low simmer, over medium-low heat. This softens the vegetables and creates rich, savory flavor. By combining these two steps, a proper braise will have both a mild sweetness and rich savory flavors.
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Try out Plant-Based Braising: Braised Fennel and Peppers
This recipe for Italian Braised Fennel and Peppers is the perfect plant-based recipe to try your braising technique! Fennel and peppers balance sweet and savory flavors. Then, hearty cannellini beans simmer in the flavorful broth. Delicious, healthy, and satsifying!
The original inspiration from this dish came from Mario Batali’s take on the classic Little Italy recipe for Spicy Stewed Sausages and Three Peppers. I loved his colorful use of peppers and the sweet flavor of the fennel. However, I swapped out the sausages for cannellini beans. Plus, I ditch the heavy amount of cheese — you simply don’t need it!
You’ll love this whole-foods, plant-based recipe! It is:
- Full of Comfort-Food Flavor
- Classic Italian
- Satisfying and Hearty
- Perfect for Fall and Winter
- Slow-Cooker Friendly
- Freezer-Friendly
Chef Katie’s Healthy Plant-Based Cooking Tips:
What to Do with Fennel Stalks? Save extra fennel stalks to make vegetable stock. You can keep them in a plastic bag in the freezer. Then, thaw and simmer with water to make vegetable broth. You can save with other vegetable scraps like shiitake mushroom stems, celery leaves, or onion and carrot scraps.
Why Beans Rule: Beans are a healthy source of fiber, plant-based protein, and long-lasting energy. Research shows eating 2 cans of beans a week can help you live a long, healthy life! Plus, beans are very budget-friendly. Beans Rule!
Oil-Free Cooking: I’m on a mission to cook without oil. When browning vegetables for a saute or braise, you can do it without oil. Cook the vegetables over medium-high heat, stirring often. If they begin to darken too quickly, add a splash of water or vegetable stock to slow the cooking. Stir often, and keep an eye on the pan. It may take some practice, but oil-free cooking will save you empty calories. Plus, it makes your food taste lighter, with cleaner flavor.
Vegan Bouillon Cubes: For adding flavor to plant-based soups, stews, braises, and sauces, I always keep a few of the Edward and Sons vegan bullion cubes on hand. They come in Beef, Chick’n, and Low-Sodium Veggie flavors. Plus, it’s easy to keep a few in your pantry.
Slow-Cooker: You can make this braise in the Slow Cooker, using dried white beans. You still want to pre-soak the beans in a couple of inches of water, at least for 6 hours. When ready to cook, first brown the fennel and peppers in a saute pan with the fennel seed. Then, transfer to the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients, including the dried beans. Add enough liquid to cover. Then, cook on low 6 to 8 hours. If using dried beans, you need about ½ cup dried for this recipe.
Using Dried Beans Cooked from Scratch: You can cook your own beans from scratch to use in this recipe. 1 can of beans is about 1 ¾ cup cooked beans. If cooking from raw, you’ll need about ½ cup dried beans for this recipe.
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the thin outer layer of the fennel bulb 
Save the fennel fronds for garnishing the final dish 
Always drain and rinse canned beans before using in a recipe
Enjoy over Cauliflower Herb Mash, the Ultimate Vegan Smashed Potatoes, or Creamy Butternut Squash Italian Polenta for a satisfying, healthy dinner.
Print Recipe
Italian Braised Fennel and Peppers with Cannellini Beans
Ingredients
- 1 bulb of fennel
- 2 bell peppers orange, red or yellow, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon fennel seed or anise seed
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups vegetable stock or water
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper as needed
Instructions
To prepare the Fennel:
- Use a vegetable peeler to peel the fennel. Pluck a few of the fennel fronds and save for garnishing later. Trim the green stalks. Discard or save for another use. Remove the core of the fennel. Thinly slice the fennel bulb, about ¼-inch thick.
To make the Italian Braised Fennel and Peppers with Cannellini Beans:
- Preheat a wide pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced fennel, bell peppers, and fennel seed. Sauté over for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown around the edges.
- Add the garlic and vegetable stock (or water). Partially cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes, until the fennel is soft and the broth is flavorful. Add the drained beans. Cook another 3-5 minutes, until the beans are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve over Herb Cauliflower Mash or the Ultimate Mashed Potatoes. Garnish with reserved fennel fronds.
Video
Notes
Yield: 4 cups
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 127 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 1 g | 2 % |
| Saturated Fat 0 g | 1 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 1 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 1256 mg | 52 % |
| Potassium 433 mg | 12 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 26 g | 9 % |
| Dietary Fiber 10 g | 41 % |
| Sugars 5 g | |
| Protein 7 g | 14 % |
| Vitamin A | 106 % |
| Vitamin C | 91 % |
| Calcium | 19 % |
| Iron | 15 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping and Gear List
- Not-Beef + Not-Chick’n + Garden Veggie Edward & Sons Bouillon Cubes, Variety Set
- Simply Organic Fennel Seed, 1.9 oz
- Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice Flour 24 Ounce
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